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I did in fact see the first article, however people that read this one without reading the first one will not know their race. A suspect description is a suspect description. Why remove race from that?

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The race, age and height were mentioned in the article that ran when the event first occurred. I guessed you missed that.

Absolute horrible journalism. Do they actually know how many males in JC are between 5'9" and 6'0" with a medium build?

Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

More than 300 people attended an emotional vigil in Jersey City tonight in the wake of a wave of recent gun violence that claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy last Friday night.

"This is a different rally and the difference is you. We want to leave from here with a plan of action that is going to change this community," said Robert Mays who with Bruce Alston leads Urban Concerns, the community group that organized the event at the Hub shopping center on Martin Luther King Drive.

"Where is the spirit to take back the community?," Mays followed. "It's not white-on-black crime, it's black-on-black."

Gywan Elijah Levine Jr., 12, was dribbling a basketball with his father just before 10 p.m. on Friday when two men approached and opened fire, fatally shooting the boy in the chest and wounding the father in the leg, officials said.

In the crowd tonight, Doris Taylor carried a poster with a picture of her son, Michael Taylor, who was gunned down in June 2004 in gang violence in a case of mistaken identity.

"It's unbearable, the pain," Taylor said about her loss. "It's been nine years and it feels like I just happened yesterday."

The Rev. Robin Hampton of the Covenant and Peace Worship Center in Jersey City told the crowd, "We have terrorists in our city."

"We've got to take control of the element, say we don't want you here no more," Hampton said.

At one point, the crowd locked arms while the song "I Need You to Survive" was played.

Also in the crowd was Sandra Muchioki whose son Michael Muchioki and his fiancee Nia Haqq, were murdered on April 4, 2010 when they arrived home at their Randolph Avenue residence after their engagement party.




Jersey City Mayor elect Steve Fulop also attended, along with Jersey City NAACP President William Braker, Freeholder Jeff Dublin, Council members Viola Richardson and Rolando Lavarro, the Rev. Herbert Daughtry, Ward E Councilwoman-elect Candice Osborne, and other dignitaries.

"This is a story we hear all too often," Fulop told The Jersey Journal speaking about the 12-year-old's shooting death. "We are going to be as aggressive as possible to make sure this is the last time we have anything like this."

Alston said he has been meeting with representatives of the SNUG community organization in Yonkers and with Operation Ceasefire of Chicago to put together a strategy to combat violence.

He said the two groups will send representatives to Jersey City for a town-hall meeting in the next few weeks.

Extremely sad. Rutgers Avenue has had it's share of bloodshed. I have for YEARS brought activities taking place to the attention of city hall, ward A councilman Sotolano and the south precinct. Based on his history, I really do not think Epps will be of any use either should he win in the runoff. We have requested cameras on Rutgers Avenue for years. But because it is not in a UEZ zone they refused to work out a way or to put some sort of alternative plan in place and if they did the south precinct I assume did not have enough resources to do so. However, there IS a corner "candy" (and drug?) store on Chapel and Rutgers so I can't comprehend why UEZ regulations couldn't have been changed in that regard. In the end, the pols that have been voted out, the ones that were dragged out in handcuffs due to corruption and the ONE that (THANK YOU!) decided not to run again in city hall are leaving and left (IMO) with blood on their hands as they were too busy stuffing their pockets and served with ulterior motives...GOOD RIDDANCE!
I am hoping Fulop and whoever takes ward A will be up for the task to keep our children and families safe... PLEASE HELP US!
I do in my gut feel that Fulop will and I am hoping he doesn't prove otherwise. The reason I write this is because ward A has been let down for the past several and more so, eight years!

My true and heartfelt condolences go out to this family.

To ward A and the rest of Jersey City, please know that there are hard working law abiding citizens here that DO care. To those looking for drugs, prostitutes or to shoot up our neighborhoods that are killing our children and destroying lives, please know that dontstealmyrocks is jotting down your license plate, recording you and calling it in when I catch you!

Anthony J. Machcinski/The Jersey Journal

A 12-year-old boy was killed last night after he and his father were shot on Rutgers Avenue in Jersey City, authorities said this morning.

The boy, Gywan Levine Jr., 12, of Jersey City was taken to Jersey City Medical Center after the shooting but passed away to an apparent gunshot wound to the shoulder, Hudson County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Gene Rubino said this morning.

Levine Jr. and his father, Gywan Levine Sr., were walking on Rutgers Avenue between Stevens Avenue and Wade Street around 9:50 p.m. when two men approached them and shots were fired, Rubino said.

Levine Jr. was struck in the shoulder area and Levine Sr. was shot in the leg, Rubino said.

The two were transported to Jersey City Medical Center where Levine Jr. passed away, Rubino said. Information on Levine Sr. was not immediately available.

Rubino said that the boy had been dribbling a basketball and when shots were fired, many in the area began to run away.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Unit at (201) 915-1345. All calls will be kept confidential.

Rubino said the incident is still under active investigation and that Homicide Prosecutors and Jersey City Police worked through the night and will continue working through the weekend on this case.