Men Need To Protect Their Community! But also...

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]They found the eight children deceased.

[00:00:02]They found one woman had been shot as well. In fact, one of the other children had also tried to escape out that window, did not make it, and police said they found that child on the roof.

[00:00:12]Police identified the man responsible for the shooting as Shamar Elkins. They said after he shot here, he ran down the street. He carjacked someone. He drove east. Police officers pursued him. They said that he produced a handgun, and officers shot and killed him right there. They're still investigating tonight. Although Shreveport police released this photo on Facebook Monday of Shamar Elkins, who they say shot and killed eight children Sunday, including seven of his own.

[00:00:42]>> All evidence and indications are that uh this erupted as a domestic uh dispute between parties.

[00:00:52]>> Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said Elkins also shot two women, one who was his wife, and another who identified herself in a 911 call to police as his girlfriend. Both remain hospitalized.

[00:01:06]Police said Elkins was convicted in 2019 of illegal use of a firearm, a felony that should have >> Uh I'm sorry, I can't even finish this.

[00:01:14]All right, we got to lock in. Um welcome black.

[00:01:18]A black man murdered his children.

[00:01:22]Eight eight children.

[00:01:25]Shot another child and shot his wife and his girlfriend.

[00:01:36]There's a lot to be said here.

[00:01:38]Um I don't have much words to say, but we have to protect the women and the children of our communities.

[00:01:49]Um my homie Karega says it all the time. If men are healthy, then the community is safe.

[00:01:56]But if men are not healthy, the whole community is at risk.

[00:02:01]And I don't know what you're going through, but I do know that there are spaces for you, and I'm going to tell you about those. But before I can do that, I'm going to let you know something.

[00:02:13]If you know a man who is dealing with grief, like he lost a loved one, um if he is getting divorced, if uh he lost his job, he has a failed business, um if he's going through uh financial stress, if you know a man who has been disconnected from his church community, anything like that, and you have access to that man, it is your responsibility to hold space for that man.

[00:02:46]I'm not saying that this is anyone's fault besides Shamar Elkins. But I am saying that if I have access to a to my brother, then I should be asking him the tough questions to help him think about the decisions he's making.

[00:03:04]I just want to let you know that if you're a man struggling with mental health, if you're a father, a new father, um if you are having trouble in your relationship, you are not alone.

[00:03:16]Relationships are very hard. Marriage is extremely hard. Being a father is really difficult. And the main reason is is because we all have different inner voices.

[00:03:27]There's something happening inside of our head that is telling us a truth or a lie, and we're believing those things based on uh how we're fostering those inner thoughts. And so, I want to give you something as a resource, okay? Um there's a group called the DSSC, Daddy Stroller Social Club. It is a group of men who just go walking. You do not have to be a father.

[00:03:55]You do not have to uh uh have, you know, a kid in a stroller.

[00:03:59]They just walk once a month, and they have several uh uh chapters around the country. Um I need you to look into that if you're a man. I need you to look into that, okay?

[00:04:11]Um if you're feeling like you don't have nobody to talk to, and therapy's too expensive, Daddy Stroller Social Club is there for you. If you're in the Bay Area or in Sacramento, every last Monday of the month in Sacramento, my homie Karega does the Men's Wellness Fellowship.

[00:04:27]Okay? Every last Tuesday of the month in Oakland, my man Karega does the Men's Wellness Fellowship. It's a space for men to get together.

[00:04:37]Um and if you are don't have access to those things, and you've done the research, and there's no other groups, uh make sure you show up on Saturday mornings. It's a black men's meeting. Uh it's a good father's meeting for black men. Um every Saturday morning, 7:00 a.m. PST, I host on Riverside.

[00:04:57]I'll leave the link in my uh bio, whatever. You need to You need to connect. Okay? There's no reason why we have men killing eight of their children.

[00:05:09]We It's no reason why we have like we It's no reason. It's not It's not a point to this. It's It's And and then, he didn't even crash out on himself. He ran.

[00:05:21]My homie Karega said, "If men are healthy, then the community is safe.

[00:05:25]If men are not healthy, the whole community is at risk." Please check in on your people. Check on Check in on yourself. I wrote this book, Father Yourself First, for you to help you grow your inner voice. I'm not playing.