(AllHipHop News) Lauren London has spoken out about gun violence in the U.S., admitting its prevalence left her “numb” in her teenage years.
The actress, whose partner Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed outside his Marathon clothing store in Los Angeles in March 2019, revealed she grew up around gun violence during an appearance on Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red Table Talk” show on Facebook Watch.
“Just growing up in L.A., in the area that I was around,” Lauren said, in response to a question about when she was first affected by gun violence. “In high school, a lot of the boys were in gangs, and I remember that a lot of our friends, by summertime they were gone. They had transitioned from gun violence.
“So you kind of got – I don’t want to say numb, but used to hearing it,” she added, explaining she always made sure she “knew where the exit was” at parties in case there was an incident.
“That’s traumatizing,” she admitted. “To be 16-years-old and having to be on guard when you go into a party.”
The episode was recorded earlier this year, before the current Black Lives Matter protests, but Lauren still shared a poignant detail about what she’s taught her sons – 10-year-old Kameron and three-year-old Kross, about staying safe from violence.
“What I instill in them is more about the police,” she admitted. “How to handle yourself when you get pulled over. That’s more of my education, protecting them being black men in America.”
Lauren shares Kameron with ex Lil Wayne, while she welcomed Kross with Nipsey in 2017.