Maverick Boys and Girls Club offers safe space for Amarillo teens amid rise in gun violence

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Friday nights during the summer at the Maverick Boys and Girls Club became a gathering place for hundreds of local teenagers seeking a refuge from gun violence across Amarillo.

The club designed its Friday “Teen Nights” as a boundary against local violence, offering organized activities tailored to different interests and featuring community volunteers.

“It gives us something to do in the timeframe where, like, most of the time shootings and stuff like that happen. It keeps us off the streets,” one participant said.

Volunteer Stew said participation is open to anyone willing to step up.

“I can be Big Stew and a Ghostbuster all at the same time. I don’t have to have this Adonis-looking body or anything like that to be a superhero,” Stew said. “I can just be a regular guy that helps the community out.”

Impact on local youth and families

Attendees said the events provide reassurance to both teenagers and parents worried about safety in the city.

“Honestly, it’s relieving to my parents, too. When I go out, my mom’s always saying, ‘Make sure you know your whereabouts. Make sure no one has a gun.’ When we come here, she doesn’t have to say none of that because she knows nothing’s going to happen to me,” one teen attendee said.

Another youth added: “Honestly, it kind of feels like a home to me... a lot of the workers here, they make me feel safe... they’re like a family.”

For many, the fear of violence remains constant following recent tragedies. Brynnlee Hampton, 15, died on Jan. 1.

“I lost my friend, Brynnlee, on January 1st. It was very heartbreaking... Teenagers should not just have guns on a regular basis. All she was trying to do was hang out with her friends. She shouldn’t have died trying to hang out with her friends,” a friend said.

Other attendees noted that peer conflicts and parties frequently turn violent.

“At our age, some kids go out to parties and most parties are getting shot up. Kids have to worry about being safe... having to worry about if they’re going to go home,” an attendee said. “And them getting arguments and having beef with other kids is just, like, messing up their career and what they’re doing in life... Like, there’s some innocent kids that are, like, losing their lives towards gang violence.”

“And a lot of mothers having to bury their children and friends having to carry the casket,” another teen said. “It makes me sad and mad that people have to use violence instead of talking it out.”

Record attendance and calls for community support

Due to demand, Teen Night expanded from one evening to two per week. Peak attendance drew more than 400 teenagers in a single night.

“Speaking to a lot of the kids, they’ve told me that it’s much better to be here than out in the streets... What’s unfortunate is that these kids this age are what’s being impacted by all the gun violence that’s in Amarillo,” a club representative said. “What the public can do is support an organization like this so we can do more.”

Youth at the center emphasized that curbing violence requires broader involvement.

“It still hurts me when I look at my phone and I see another shooting or somebody dies... because that could have been me. I mean, really, it impacts all of us. It takes all of us to make a change. Like, be the change you want to see in the world,” one teen said.

The upcoming multi-part investigative series, “Amarillo: The Way Forward,” examines the root causes of area gun violence, weapon sources, and community accountability.

The special streams first starting Wednesday on Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV via the KFDA NewsChannel 10 app, followed by a broadcast premiere Thursday at 6:30 p.m.