September 1, 2007 - The Terry Cutchin Day festival honored 13 year old Terry Cutchin who was killed by gun violence
this past August while he was out with friends at a local McDonalds.
Cutchin, an honor role student and up and coming boxer, trained at Keely's District Boxing And Youth Center in N.W., D.C. since he was nine years old. Keely's boxing facility, home to more than 1,400 D.C. youth, (a number
Keely says he didn't foresee) and serves as a safe haven for many in the community; some who come from broken homes, street
life, and gangs.
The facility teaches discipline, the art of boxing, education, respect for self and others, and gives the young men
and women hope.
"Terry wanted a boxing trophy so badly", said Thompson, a former IBC lightweight boxer. "Every time you mentioned boxing his eyes would just light up."
Cutchin was one, in a string of youth murdered in D.C. this summer.
Two days before Cutchin was murdered, a young girl, also thirteen, was shot. She survived her injuries. In a separate
incident, Tayon Glover, the brother of actor and Go-Go band member, Anwan Glover (a.k.a. Big G) was also killed.
While many in the community seek answers and remedies to end youth gun violence, Keely offers his own. "Tell your kids
you love them. Give them a hug while showing them the right way to go."
Says Lancy, Terry's aunt, "I want change. We can find money for everything else, why can't we find money for our kids? Whenever
there is something else going on in the world, we're right on it."
"But we also need to help ourselves", she added.
Keely also says government needs to do more, and recommends that there be scholarships given for boxing.
"We've got football and basketball scholarships. We need to give kids scholarships for boxing. I've
seen how boxing has changed kids' lives."
Mayor Fenty, who was presented with an award from Keely's Boxing Center said, "It's really up to our community to decide
we are going to reverse the violence and increase positive activity for young people."
"Our office will continue to find a way to keep young people active with programs like Keely's Boxing and Youth Center."
Terry's grandfather, Robert Morton, who was involved in Terry's life, would drop off and pick up young Cutchin from
school. He offered this advice when asked what could be done to help curtail gangs and the youth homicide rate in the city:
"We need to get more involved in the kids' lives, and care about each other's kids. I was bought up where we had neighbors
and others to watch out for kids when mom and dad were at work. When I was coming up, we always had to respect our elders,
and say "Yes ma'am" and "No ma'am." I think we need to get back to that."
Having spoken to several of youth boxers, it would seem that they concur, as they answered interview questions with
a resounding "Yes Ma'am", or No Ma'am.
The event garnered well over 200 people from the community to witness the boxing exhibits and to commemorate Cutchin.
Still emotionally shaken and unable to speak fully about her grandson, Ms. Geraldine Graham, grandmother of Terry Cutchin,
was able to provide this advice for area youth: "Put the guns down and stop the killing."
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See also:
How You Can Support Local Youth Boxing