By Malik Washington, The Davis Vanguard / Destination Freedom Media Group
There are moments when a city must slow down—when words must do more than inform, and instead learn how to listen. To grief. To truth. To the quiet courage left behind when a young life is taken too soon.
Jayda Mabrey was a teenager.
She was a daughter.
She was a young soul who chose love over silence.
On a Friday evening in late January, gunfire broke the routine calm of early evening in San Francisco’s Fillmore District. Near Golden Gate Avenue and Laguna Street—steps from a public playground and just blocks from City Hall—three juveniles were shot. Jayda Mabrey did not survive.
By the time police lights filled the block, the city was already responding after the fact.
I witnessed the aftermath that evening while leaving the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center. Golden Gate Avenue was sealed off. At least twenty squad cars lined the street. Teenagers were walking away from the scene—crying, visibly shaken, carrying shock and fear that would not disappear when the street reopened or when the headlines inevitably changed.
At that moment, we did not yet know Jayda’s name.
By Sunday, the community did.
At a vigil held at Margaret S. Hayward Playground, grief gathered alongside resolve. Candles flickered. People held one another. And a deeper truth settled in: Jayda’s life—and her death—must not be reduced to a statistic, a soundbite, or a temporary surge of public concern.
Jayda walked into the streets not for attention.
Not for anger.
But to stand where pain had been ignored and injustice left unanswered.
As Bro. Justice of People for Peace shared in a statement with the community:
*“Jayda Mabrey was a young soul who chose love over silence.
She walked into the streets not for attention, not for anger—but to stand where pain had been ignored and injustice left unanswered. She came to give her peace, her energy, and her voice to those who had been denied all three.
Though her voice was taken from this world, it has not been erased.
It lives in memory. It lives in the heart. It lives in every step we take when we choose courage over comfort.
Today, we carry not only grief—but responsibility.
Responsibility to be informed.
Responsibility to move with wisdom.
Responsibility to understand that protest without knowledge can drift, but protest guided by truth can build.
Let Jayda be remembered not only for how she marched, but for why.
Let her name remind us that change is not just volume—it is direction.
Not just presence—but purpose.
As we walk away from this place, may we walk together.
Eyes open. Hearts grounded. Minds awake.
Speaking with care. Moving with intention. Protecting one another.
This is how we honor Jayda.
This is how her voice continues.
This is how remembrance becomes action.”*
Jayda’s death did not occur in a vacuum.
It happened in a neighborhood shaped by generations of disinvestment and over-policing, at a moment when community leaders were already warning that youth-serving programs—especially those supporting children and Transitional Age Youth—were being reduced or defunded.
Programs that operate during the very hours when safety matters most.
Programs that mentor, de-escalate, intervene, and protect.
Those warnings were not abstract.
They were urgent.
And now, they are impossible to ignore.
What Jayda’s death demands is more than mourning. It demands responsibility—shared by policymakers, institutions, and all of us who claim to care about public safety and community well-being.
Twenty police cars can respond after shots are fired.
But one open door, one funded program, one trusted adult can prevent the violence before it begins.
Jayda Mabrey deserved that chance.
As the community continues to grieve, her name must remain more than a memory. It must become a measure—of whether San Francisco chooses prevention over reaction, care over neglect, and action over apology.
This is how we honor Jayda.
This is how her voice continues.
This is how remembrance becomes action.
About the Author
Malik Washington is a San Francisco–based journalist and community advocate. He is a co-founder of Destination Freedom Media Group, an independent nonprofit newsroom focused on accountability journalism, public policy, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities. His work has been published by The Davis Vanguard and appears on platforms such as Muck Rack, examining the intersection of justice, governance, and community.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
Categories: Breaking News Civil Rights San Francisco Tags: community safety de-escalation programs Fillmore District Jayda Mabrey public safety policy San Francisco violence intervention youth mentorship youth violence prevention