On May 21, a bullet traveled blindly for three blocks before finally finding a target: The arm of an innocent teenager.
Christian Webb, 13, and his mother, Tyara, were leaving their home in Canton when he was struck. Police say the bullet likely was the product of a running gun battle between two carloads of occupants.
The public reaction to what happened to Webb, who was on his way to a music lesson, should have been equal to that whenever a young Black man is being unfairly treated by police officers or others.
It’s not yet known how the gunshot wound might affect Webb’s ability to play his instrument.
A member of the Canton Youth Symphony, he plays the viola.
His life matters, too.
So, where’s his protest?
There is a thread of unfairness that runs through life in which innocent people end up suffering from others’ foolishness and anarchy. This realization is a pain made even worse when a victim is blamed and lumped in with the perpetrators. There are reports that a few keyboard commandoes implied that Webb probably was acquainted with the shooters.
The laziness of some people’s thinking is such that they can’t fathom that a Black teenager might not be a thug.
It’s the kind of mindset that demands that Black men do something productive with their lives, then resent them when they do.
LeBron James, who’s been told to “shut up and dribble,” is one who comes to mind.
It’s highly doubtful that Webb, a seventh grade honor student at St. Michael Catholic School, is a delinquent.
He’s precisely the type of kid delinquents target.
There are Black children who are afraid to show how smart they are for fear of being bullied or ostracized by some of their classmates. It takes a strong family to encourage and support a gifted child and convince them to embrace their gifts.
Somewhere along the way, Webb discovered he had a talent for playing for the viola and probably learned very quickly that not everyone would appreciate or even understand it.
Mastering a talent demands commitment and discipline. Resisting the temptation to merely float downstream takes courage. There are many gifted people who have fallen by the wayside, opting instead for lives of little challenge, low expectations and mediocrity.
He made the choice to pursue his talent, a success made manifest by a family who believes in him.
We’re in the midst of a moment where all we seem to want as a country is garish spectacle — bread and circuses — obsessing over fame and money while decimating and attacking history, literature, art and, well, thinking.
Understanding this, it must be terrifying to be the parent of a teenager in 2026. Along with the usual growing pains and hiccups of adolescence, today’s families must wrestle with a plethora of concerns and challenges, from social media addiction and manipulation to online bullying to unsecured guns to disruptive kids who careen wildly through life as though nothing matters.
But the disruptors belong to somebody. Far too many such kids are being left to their own devices, emboldened by social media stunts, while others end up embedded in the foster care system due to their parents’ inability to, well, parent.
In his daily devotional, the Rev. Gary Martin, retired pastor of True Light Christian Ministries in Canton, describes it thusly:
“I know there are unique situations in which parents do everything right in raising their child, yet the child still becomes indifferent toward God and develops a rebellious and disrespectful attitude toward others. But often rebellious children are a symptom of a deeper problem in the family. If only one of the children in a family is rebellious and unmanageable, you might be able to dismiss the situation as a freak development or an attack of the devil. But if every child exhibits the same disturbing behavioral problems, you can surmise that something is not right in that home.”
Tyara Webb appears to be a parent who has done everything she possibly can to keep her son from becoming a statistic.
The Brady United.org reports that Black youth, who make up just 14% of the minor population, account for 46% of gun-related homicides. Black minors are 13.6 times more likely to die from firearm homicides than whites. Among young adults (18-to-24), it’s 19 times more likely to happen.
The Pew Charitable Trust also found that suicide among Black children 10 to 17 jumped 144% between 2007 and 2020. The rate for this group of kids is rising faster than any other demographic.
The lack of funding and access to mental health services, especially in public school systems, only adds to this roiling cauldron of violence and despair.
But here’s the thing: Tyara Webb isn’t an outlier. There are innumerable Black families raising accomplished kids. The media bear some of the blame that this is not more commonly known, but “Black Honor Student Also Plays the Viola” isn’t the kind of story that generates clicks, let’s face it.
Just like adults, good kids still far outnumber the anarchists. But a young person who’s capable of shooting a hole in a viola is still a risk to a kid who plays one.
Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and member of the editorial board. Reach her at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Young guns are a threat to kids trying to do the right thing | Goshay
Reporting by Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository / The Repository
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By Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
