PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - A local trauma response team is preparing to support students at Woodland Hills High School, as Antwon Rose's community braces for an eventual verdict in the Rosfeld trial.
The FOCUS Pittsburgh Trauma Response Team provides emotional support and mental healthcare to neighborhoods in the wake of a homicide.
Executive Director Father Paul Abernathy tells KDKA Radio's Lynne Hayes-Freeland they are preparing to respond to Woodland Hills high school once a verdict is announced, and that violence involving a police officer has a greater impact on communities, especially on those of color.
"People can say it was justified or it wasn't justified, that impact is there none the less," said Abernathy. "So this is really, really an extraordinary experience for these children."
Abernathy says that their goal is to help mitigate retaliation to violence in communities.
"Beginning to show up in the immediate aftermath of a homicide begins to empower people to come forward, to be more free, not only to heal but also to speak out against the violence."
Abernathy adds students at Woodland Hills have also started training as trauma responders.
___Follow KDKA Radio: Facebook | Twitter | InstagramListen to KDKA Radio on the Radio.com App - Download Now
