Gun violence is nothing new in today’s society. It’s a daily problem across the country. When it hits close to home, however, it makes people emotional, especially when it involves young lives coming to an early end.

There is anger, sadness, shock and dismay.

The fatal shooting of Raylin ‘Lil Raylin’ Harrison, a 17-year-old Dr. Phillips High linebacker, three days after Christmas, prompted longtime Orlando youth trainer and coach Boris Jackson to say enough is enough.

Jackson, a popular coach known as BoJack to everyone who knows him, was born in Orlando, attended Carver Middle School, played at Jones High and then FAMU. He is a teacher at Dr. Phillips High and has been an assistant football coach at DP for the past 14 years, and he the girls track coach for nine years. Jackson has also managed his own personal non-profit training academy Speed Plus Sports for 27 years.

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“When Raylin was shot and killed, it was a shock to my system,” said Jackson, who not only trained and coached the young Harrison, but he also trained Dexter Rentz, 18, the Ocoee football player who was killed in a drive-by shooting during a post-funeral gathering in April of 2020, just before leaving to play football at Louisville.

“Could there have been some interventions? Could there have been some things that [Harrison] could have said to walk away? I’m quite sure. But at that time, the situation was probably escalated.”

It’s still unclear what happened on the fatal night of the Harrison shooting. Authorities are not commenting and still investigating. It took four years before police made an arrest in the Rentz shooting.

Christopher Burke, 26, was arrested in March of 2024. Another suspect police were searching for was killed in another drive-by incident. Burke continues to being held, awaiting trial, in the Orange County jail, on a bond of $1,750,000.

Jackson has seen a lot in his 51 years.

“We’ve seen some other incidents around Orlando and I just said I have to step in and do something,” Jackson said.

Saturday will be the first of what BoJack hopes to be many youth football camps under the title “Huddle Up Orlando.” Saturday is for students at Carver and Memorial middle schools, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Several local coaches have volunteered to work the event.

“The reason is obviously to bring awareness to the children and the community about the choices kids are making with bullying in social media and in person and things like that,” Jackson said. “Our concern is our kids not knowing how to de-escalate situations and how to communicate with one another effectively.

“We want to bring those guys and girls into a huddle and discuss some of the skills that are necessary to maneuver in this society.”

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The camp will also involve football instruction broke down by positions, but the message to be delivered is about dealing with conflict, how to avoid it and how to make sure that, when conflict happens, it is not taken to deadly extremes.

“We want to let the city of Orlando and also Orange County Public Schools know that we are in this community to help and to serve,” Jackson said. “We don’t want the kids to continue self-destruction.”

Jackson said the motto is “Belonging Before Bullets.”

“We just want to bring an awareness. That’s the theme,” Jackson said. “We want these kids to know they belong here and they have a right to be here and we want to give them purpose. We don’t want this thing to get out of hand here in Orlando and that’s why we are stepping up as coaches, as players and people in the community.

“We hear what’s going on, we see what’s going on, we feel it and we’re gonna do something about it.”

The camp is sponsored by Justin Felton’s Felton Athletic Management and the City of Orlando, and endorsed by District 6 commissioner Bakari Burns, a former Carver student, as well as Carver Middle principal Samuel Danner, and the food sponsor will be Finding the Lost Sheep Street Ministry.

“We couldn’t do this without the help of people donating their time. We have people coming out from the religious community, donating the food … some ball players from UCF,” Jackson said. “We want the community to put their arms around these student athletes.”

The plan is that Jackson and the event will reach out to other Orlando middle schools three times a year in the future.

“This can be a very impactful opportunity for these kids,” Jackson said.

Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.