Wayne Lomax is the Retired Pastor of The Fountain Church in Miami Gardens, Florida. He currently serves as a Compliance Manager for Miami Dade County Public Schools and is the President of The Fountain Endowed Legacy Scholarship Fund. They could’ve done that one too.
In August 2026, just a few weeks ago, a 17-year-old girl walked to a park in Riviera Beach with the alleged intent to sell a gun. The prospective transaction went south, culminating in the young lady’s death and the arrest of three teenage boys who, if convicted of murder, will spend unrecoverable years behind bars. Whatever the social, psychological, and economic factors that contribute to this rerun, at some point they become excuses that sustain everything that is unattractive about our community. We are literally careening toward a point of no return. According to the Violence Policy Center, Black Americans accounted for more than half (52.2%) of all U.S. homicide victims in 2024 while making up only 13.7% of the population.
I think it is fair to say that we have many active churches, dozens of community-based organizations, and emerging nonprofits with a vision of transforming our communities. And yet, in spite of their heroic efforts, a girl is dead and three young men have been arrested. I am the first to say that I do not know the answer, but I am certain that we will never have an attractive community as long as we are murdering each other.
The answer is not simple, but it starts with the family. Not the church. Not the schools. Not the YMCA, Pop Warner, or after-school programs. It begins in homes that share common values. One family is not enough. We need an army of families led by parents: dads and moms with the skills to prevent what we just witnessed. There is no institution greater than the family, but only healthy families reduce crime and incarceration. Are you with me?
Sources (verified 2026-09-23):
- Violence Policy Center press release, July 14, 2026 — 52.2% and 13.7% confirmed; figures are from CDC 2024 homicide data (VPC’s 20th annual Black Homicide Victimization in the United States report).
- CBS12: Riviera Beach police update; three juveniles charged — shooting on Aug. 21, 2026, at about 8 p.m., in the 1400 block of West 36th Street; three juveniles charged with first-degree murder.
- WFLX: 3 minors arrested — shooter is 17; two accomplices are 16; not charged as adults as of Sept. 22.
- iHeart/WIOD: 3 teens arrested — police say the three planned to rob her of a gun she was trying to sell at a park.