The recent fusillade of violent crimes in Denver involving teenagers and children, both as perpetrators and victims, is raising alarms across the entire metro area.

Are we in the throes of a new Summer of Violence?

Why have the violent deaths of 12- to 18-year-olds suddenly become “normalized”? Why has gunfire with young people pulling the trigger become so constant that, at times, it has seemed omnipresent in parts of the city? What are the root causes of this surge? 

The Denver Gazette and 9News want to help find answers.

Please join us for “Kids in the Crossfire, A Town Hall: Exploring Solutions to Youth Violence in Denver.”

The discussion follows a Denver Gazette series about youth violence in metro Denver and how children are navigating life in the era of school shootings and gang violence.

The discussion will focus on practical, pragmatic steps we can take to stem the tide, and will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the Anschutz Medical Campus Auditorium at 13121 E. 17th Ave. in Aurora.

You can register for the discussion and submit a question for our moderator here: denvergazette.com/crossfire

The town hall will also be livestreamed at denvergazette.com and 9News.com.

The discussion will be moderated by 9News, and the panel of experts includes:

• Beth McCann, Denver District Attorney

• Melissa Janiszewski, Executive Director of Denver’s Office of Children’s Affairs

• Angela Lawson, Aurora City Councilwoman

• Jonathan McMillan, Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education

• Rica Rodriguez-Hernandez, Director of the Urban Impact team, Life-Line Colorado

• Tracy Durant, Sociology and Criminology Professor at University of Denver 

• Sarah Goodrum, Research Professor at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence

These experts will survey the programs Denver has in place to combat youth violence, tell us what is working and what isn’t, and speak to what more Denver can do to build a community free from the harms of violence.