KEARNS, Utah — The violence that transpired outside a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Kearns last week is precisely the sort of thing one local group is hoping to prevent.
Vilisoni Angilau, 18, was shot and killed outside the church last Monday, where a funeral was taking place.
Siolo Toala is one of the co-founders of an organization called “Day Won.”
“For me, I think our youth just need more choices other than gun violence," he said.
Toala said he’s Samoan by birth and an ex-convict due to bad choices. He also said he knows many of the family members who are now grieving as a result of last week’s deadly shooting.
“For me, there was a lot of hurt," he said. "I mean, for my community, for my culture, because as a Polynesian man it’s just sad to see our island folks being portrayed that way.”
Toala, along with a handful of friends and community members, started Day Won a few years ago. He said they’ve been working with local police and corrections officials, trying to reach young people in particular before they make worse choices.
“We want to tell them how dark it is in there, what we missed out on, and give them other choices," he said. "I think a lived experience, someone who’s been there, is a great representation for our youth.”
Toala said they are more determined than ever to try and make a difference after what happened last week.
“We want to prevent that by giving them a tool like: this is real masculinity, here. Tell them how to walk away, how to have a conversation, to de-escalate," Toala said.
