枪击创伤后的重生：以4K镜头记录社区韧性与治愈之路

Host: What is it like to rebuild your life after gun violence? And how do you go about telling that story and the larger story of a community dealing with trauma? Nakia Foster, Rico King, Davone Jones, great to have you in our studios. Thank you so much for joining me. Um before we get into things, Nakia, it's great to have you here with us. 3 years ago, uh you were told that potentially potentially you may not be here. That you may not walk. But here you are. I I I want to know how are you doing today?

Nakia Foster: I'm doing good, man. You know, just started school. I'm here with Mr. Jones and Rico. So, yeah. I can't complain.

Host: Uh throughout the doc, there's sort of this journey, um you know, of rehab and the emotion, the pain, the strength. You seem to always have this smile on your face as well. Um how how how difficult uh would you describe sort of that journey from from then to where you are today?

Nakia Foster: You know, [snorts] it was very difficult to go through what I went through. But when you put a smile on your face, it's easier it's very easy to fight through your battles, you know? When you're running a race with your head down, it's going to be hard to win the race. But when you're running a race with your head up, it's going to be easier to win the race. So, I kind of compare that to me having a smile on my face.

Host: Rico, uh watching the documentary, there is there's a story of perseverance, it's a story of pain, uh but it's pretty obvious shortly into the doc when you meet Nakia, uh how quickly we fall in love with you and and sort of the journey. But why was it important for you to focus on Nakia's journey?

Rico King: Uh it was important because it was very unique, you know what I mean? Um and um Nakia, you know, gave me access to his story, which um it was a miracle, right? Like he survived something that most we talk about it all the time, like can't believe you made it through and we're so happy that he did make it through. Um and showing the Kye story we we get to see uh kid from Jane and Finch and you know, it reflects on the whole community and it's a you know, one story amongst hundreds of stories as Devon will talk about I'm sure in a bit. And um yeah, it's pretty much the best way to [clears throat] to make a film is by focusing on the character cuz like you see in the documentary we all fall in love with him.

Host: When did you um hear about sort of the the origins of the story about Nekai?

Rico King: About Nekai uh we heard it uh me and Devon were visiting him at the hospital. Like um people always ask me how do I get access to these stories and stuff like that, but we're like people in the community. We love the community. We love to help young brothers um get out of this the get back culture and we understand it cuz uh we've lived in it you know, for years and decades. You know, so um that's how I heard about Nekai and we were there in the hospital just visiting him and uh one day he told me, "Can I shoot uh can you shoot my recovery in 4K?" I'm like, "For sure."

Host: In 4K for sure. Not 1080 is

Rico King: We don't we don't do 1080.

Host: All right. What [laughter] what What did it reveal about sort of the role of community uh and and what it plays in helping, you know, overcome challenges uh that Nekai went through?

Rico King: I mean like we're all we got. That's how I always say it, you know, um we understand the problem more and it's our community, so it's our responsibility.

Host: Devon, uh you've dedicated uh essentially your life to helping racialized youth um steering them away from gun violence. Help me understand how you guys came together. Did you know Rico? Did you know Nekai uh before all of this?

Davone Jones: Well, Nekai I knew. Uh Rico I met Rico um maybe a few months before actually. Um we had an idea of of doing a documentary to create some awareness around just the the pathology of gun violence and its nuances. And I mean, we've written enough reports um where we got to the point that a significant media piece um you know, a documentary of some sort would would shed light on this on this issue that is um that is plaguing, you know, disproportionately the black communities. And uh uh when I met Rico and I saw the work that he had done in Houston and in Baltimore um the immediate assumption was that he's the guy to help us tell the story.

Host: Uh Nakaiya says sort of that Mr. Jones. Level of respect for this man here. Uh how would you describe uh Nakaiya to people who who don't know him?

Davone Jones: Um just the word that stands out is hope. It's it's it's resilience and hope the words resilience and hope.

Host: Mhm.

Davone Jones: Um because I mean, we were there in Sunnybrook. You know, I've been sadly enough I've been at Sunnybrook time over time over time with young people who didn't make it and you know, young people who make it through but you know, they have real health complications after being shot multiple times. And initially when I saw uh when I saw Nakaiya, I was like, well, this is not good.

Host: Mhm.

Davone Jones: This is and you hear the prognosis from the doctor man not walk again and you know, and he had to learn to do everything to talk walk um make a fist you know, and to watch his process and his progression was absolutely incredible. So just resilience and hope were the words that that that comes that comes to mind.

Host: When you talk about the people in your life, uh your mom is is featured heavily in the doc and she's always hugging you, giving you a kiss and you always go like, "Mom, stop." Uh what how much uh of of this strength uh is for is for your mom in this fight?

Nakia Foster: A lot of it, you know, my mom was always there for me along with my sister and my father, too. My grandma, my uncle. You know, like at home I have a big support base, so it helped me fight through a lot. Mhm. Yeah, I feel like I have to do it for them, so I find my strength.

Host: How important uh was having someone like Davon uh in this? Uh you we talk about access. Uh you know, this connection was already made uh well before that, but how important uh it's not just Nakai's story that you were sharing. We're talking about other uh people who have been impacted by gun violence, as well. Uh but what does Davon add to that?

Rico King: I mean, if it wasn't for Davon, I wouldn't have a documentary, right? You know, he's my community ambassador and he does such amazing work and you know, I I really strongly wanted the whole world to see Davon's story, also, besides Nakai, because he's helping all these kids, like hundreds and hundreds of kids. I get to see it in person and you know, capturing it was everything to me because people have to see the amount of groundwork that's put in, right? [clears throat] Um you know, maybe politician getting credit for crime rate reducing or or there's fewer shootings or, you know, much credit to them. I'm not discrediting them, but the work like men like Davon put in the community, that's real work, real groundwork that that impacts kids for a lifetime.

Host: Davon, what do you tell young people first and foremost when they come to you for support? When they see Yase and they say, "Okay, you know what? I need to come here." What what what are they What's that conversation like?

Davone Jones: You know, it depends where they are on the social continuum. You have young people who are there around employment. You have others who are there around, you know, early academic intervention. You have others who are there because there's a level of involvement in the culture culture of retaliatory reprisal violence. You know, they just come into the custody or they're in custody. You know, so we have we have young people at various varying stages of of the continuum. And you know, be family family support you know, employment training, learning education, case management, public safety, athletics, sports and wellness. Um you know, the five pillars that drives how we how we engage um young people and community at YES. Wherever they are on the continuum, we accommodate them.

Host: Mhm.

Davone Jones: Um for us, the culture of gun vio- of gun violence is is is one that we're very attentive to. Um recently in the community, we have a a young man

Nakia Foster: [snorts]

Davone Jones: uh on Monday that was that that was murdered. And um then that's why the urgency because if we're not proactive in dealing with this culture of retaliatory violence, then almost always um you know, it becomes extremely volatile and tragic.

Host: You mentioned uh the shooting. That was 17-year-old Cash August. Jane and Finch, broad daylight, just getting off of the Finch LRT. Uh just recently they arrested a 16-year-old.

Davone Jones: Another 16-year-old, yeah.

Host: Uh and I understand you you knew Cash.

Davone Jones: I knew Cash.

Host: Where in in the system is this failing? Like for a lot of people when they hear Jane and Finch, unfortunately, they think, okay, well, this is something [clears throat] that is going to continue to happen. You know the people. We talk about this community just being divided by really one road. We talk about this. Where in the system is this failing? And and not only the people that are being impacted in the communities here, but in prevention as well.

Davone Jones: Yeah. I mean there's a there's a concept at at the Y that our clinical social worker Dr. Nnenna K. Kelly's leading around urban violence trauma uh stress disorder. And uh we have an event at Sunnybrook um in partnership with Sunnybrook uh next Wednesday and we're exploring this phenomenon as it relates to young people with prolonged exposure to violence. Does it imbue that culture or that pathology in them?

Host: Mhm.

Davone Jones: Um young people who on a daily basis they're navigating their mortality uh in these very violent environments um with disproportionate um uh issues of gun violence uh you know, are they compromised in any capacity? Are they compromised morally? So, we're trying to make sense of why these young people uh why they engage in the culture of retaliatory violence and every step of the way we're putting mechanisms in place um that will lead to smart choices um that will mitigate the get back. Um social media is a big accelerant. There's another concept we're working with called uh digital violent violence accelerant. You can almost see the chronology with all these incidents. You can see in the guy's um story you can see played out on social media that led to his shooting. Even after the fact they kept going on about his shooting. Um

Host: You're talking about like just exchanges on on whatever just videos about talking about the shooting.

Davone Jones: Yeah. Or instigating each other where you know, someone decides well, you've been insulting me so I'm going to come pay pay back. Nakai's situation was just that. It was people on social media going back and forth. They show up to the neighborhood and we shoot anyone that they see.

Host: Right.

Davone Jones: You know, that's the level of indiscriminate violence that we're dealing with and navigating. You know, and uh social media is a is a is a is is a big factor in that. Um and we're working we're working vehemently uh you know, with public safety, DOJ, and other entities um than the TPS around how can we filter what exists on these platforms where young people think it's the right because they've been disrespected to act. But there's there's social there's social underpinnings around education, around employment um uh around safety. Some of these young people think they got to take their safety into their own hands. That that has really compromised the the the landscape in those communities.

Host: Nikai, um you've had to adjust yes to the physical limitations because of the injuries whether it's running, dancing, uh contact sports. Although I think I see the a clip of you dunking. So, it's phenomenal to see all of that. Also, I noticed uh you're working with a therapist, uh Dennis. I understand now you're you're in school studying comm, studying broadcast journalism. Don't know if that was necessarily something that you were thinking about if that was relationships that you formed with Rico uh and some of the work that with Davon, but what have you what is that path created for you?

Nakia Foster: The path Okay, when I asked Rico to shoot my documentary in the hospital on 4K I [clears throat] never really knew I'd fall in love with the media avenue as I did, right? But once I started to see him filming, I got I started to get interested. So, I started asking him stuff about like camera equipment, right? And then I just ended up getting interested in it, right? Cuz I'm like, "Oh, that's cool." And you know, he started to show me there's another way how to do things, right? Also, Mr. Jones told me there's another way how to do things, too, so I said You know, picking up the camera like filming, seeing that you could actually turn that into a career was huge for me. Wow. So, I'm like, that's why I'll take it in school.

Host: I understand you're also doing an internship with Rico as well. What do you What is What is Rico sharing with you?

Nakia Foster: A lot.

Rico King: [laughter]

Nakia Foster: You know how to build a business, scale a business, the stock market, you know, things even things behind the scenes, how to film, how to edit. Um how to do [clears throat] the audio management with the microphones. Yeah, there's a lot. A lot of work goes into it.

Host: I'm curious, for someone who does doc, you know, who who's in this doc in the doc world, it's very rare sometimes to you get close cuz you're spending, you know, years, months with with the the subjects of your of the doc, but did you expect it to be this close?

Rico King: No. No, not at all. Like uh Yeah, it was interesting how that happened.

Nakia Foster: [laughter]

Rico King: Right. Um I guess we spent a lot of time together, you know, and um Yeah, like I have a hard time explaining it. It just organically happened. We Our characters match. You know, going traveling to Ottawa together and a lot of other behind-the-scenes stuff. Like not every time I pulled up to Nick, I had a camera. And he has a lovely family. I love like hanging with his mom. His mom is really funny and um me and her have a lot of conversations. His sister is great. Grandma's great. So, and like my family is is back in Texas or, you know, internationally. So, I didn't have a family over here. So, I used to I would go to their house, you know what I mean? So, we we got really close like through that and um the internship was fun. You know, very fun showing him behind the scenes work that got, you know, it's amazing to be part of a documentary now. I'm starting a new documentary, you know, we're we're starting development on a new documentary and he was part of every step. Yeah.

Host: You [snorts] set out to tell the story of one young man's journey, but I am curious what do you hope people take away from Nekai's story, but is there anything that you learned about yourself throughout it as well?

Rico King: I learned a lot, you know, I learned I could persevere myself, you know. Right? It was really hard to tell a story especially being new to Toronto. I consider myself a Torontonian now, but um persevering through it step-by-step on the documentary, I I learned a lot about gun violence also, you know, I'm aware of the topic, but like I've lived it, but like you know, just seeing it in 4K I just opened up just new dynamics to it. Learned a lot from Mr. Jones like how to intervene in gun violence, how to prevent gun violence and you know, how to become a better filmmaker, you know, it was a great opportunity from TVO. I learned a lot through development, through production, through you know, post-production and the team Shane was always involved and it was it was a great experience.

Host: Well, I know this story does not end here. I wish you all the best Nekai, Rico, Devon. Appreciate you taking the time to chat with me.

Nakia Foster: Thank you. Thank you.

Rico King: Thank you.

Host: All right.