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Families tell Boris of their pain in talks on stabbings
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard24 Sep 2008
The family of murdered teenager Rob Knox today told Boris Johnson of the pain of losing a loved one to knife crime.
The Harry Potter actor's uncle, Kevin May, met the Mayor at City Hall for a forum to address tackling youth violence and urged him to take action.
He was accompanied by youth workers and members of bereaved families including Amy Smith, the partner of 27-year-old Elliot Guy, who was killed two months ago.
Mr May's 18-year-old nephew, Rob, was killed in May as he tried to protect his brother Jamie from a knife-wielding attacker. The brothers were accompanied at the time of the stabbing by Mr May's daughter Victoria who recently turned 17.
Mr May, who helped organise a peace rally in south London last Saturday, said: "Every birthday is just another reminder that Robbie is not there.
"Every day I have to walk past the pub where he was killed. When someone you love dies it is so profound and changes your life. We need some actions, not just words.
"If people don't act it will someday happen to you or someone you know. Don't let it get that far."
Mr Johnson promised to draw up an inventory of organisations that were working to tackle youth violence.
He said: "There are hundreds of organisations that we don't know enough about. We need to work out who the good guys are and bring them together."
Topics discussed include underlying causes of youth violence as well as solutions. The Mayor attended a seminar with academics before chairing the forum. Guests also included Dr Tunji Lasoye, head of A&E at King's College Hospital, and youth organisations Building Bridges and Youth Enlightenment.
Mr Johnson said: "I won't try and pretend for a minute that I have all the answers. This is a mammoth task that will take the full commitment of many of us working tirelessly together.
"We need to step up our policing operations, but just as importantly we need to reach out to disengaged young people and give them the opportunities and motivation to steer clear of trouble and reach their full potential."
