A nonprofit visited Canarsie High School Friday to speak to students about the harmful impacts of gang and gun violence. 

 

G-MACC, which stands for Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes, encourages students to choose a non-violent lifestyle - especially in the wake of several shootings in Canarsie this month.

Shanduke McPhatter founded the organization to use the past experiences of those who were involved in gangs, crime and other violence to help today's youth overcome the very same challenges they once faced.

"We wanted to interact with them and let them know there are services out here that will help them deal with the gun and gang violence in their communities," he said. "A lot of them don't know of these services."

After G-MACC spoke with students at the high school, they moved down the street to the subway station on Rockaway Parkway to continue to talk to community members about putting an end to violence.