They were victims of violence and, in some cases, perpetrators of crime themselves.

They had suffered trauma, as had their families and friends.

They shared stories of lost loved ones and spoke out for better education and expanded mental health resources.

Lavell Fulks, a lifelong city resident who works for the city’s neighborhood trauma teams, said city officials need to do more to help black and Hispanic young men and disadvantaged communities.

“It’s about how we teach people to see each other, it’s about how we teach people to believe in each other,” he said. “Trauma has created this wound where they can just continue to live off of hate, off of despair, live off hopelessness.”

See the full article as it appeared in the Boston Globe.