From Sorrow to Solutions - NY Amsterdam News forum addressing gun violence(LIVE)
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Beyond the Barrel goes beyond NYC with gun violence conversation - New York Amsterdam News
The Amsterdam News hosts the first of many planned virtual convenings for the Beyond the Barrel initiative on Monday, Feb. 27. This discussion, titled “From Sorrow to Solutions,” explores gun violence in Black and brown communities—what folks here at the city’s oldest and largest Black newspaper...
amsterdamnews.com
Beyond the Barrel goes beyond NYC with gun violence conversation
by TANDY LAU Amsterdam News Staff, Report for America Corps MemberFebruary 27, 2023The Amsterdam News hosted the first of many planned virtual convenings for the Beyond the Barrel initiative on Monday, Feb. 27. This discussion, titled “From Sorrow to Solutions,” explores gun violence in Black and brown communities—what folks here at the city’s oldest and largest Black newspaper deem a public health crisis.
The Beyond the Barrel initiative focuses on how gun violence can be reduced in Black and brown communities, rather than the traditional media strategies of covering shootings after they occur.
“This convening is a landmark opportunity for journalists, academics, community leaders and members to come together and discuss how to end the scourge of gun violence in Black and brown communities,” said AmNews investigative editor Damaso Reyes. “All too often, members of the media do not do the important [thing] of listening to those who are most affected and have the most insight into this issue. We hope to begin the process of changing this dynamic with this event.”
Reyes moderated the discussion panels with publisher Elinor Tatum. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer provided introductions. They were joined by familiar local faces in the gun violence prevention world, such as Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E. founder Jackie Rowe-Adams and Life Camp, Inc. founder Erica Ford.
The scope of the event expands outside New York City, with experts from all over the country, such as Washington Informer publisher Denise Rolark Barnes and Hope and Heal Fund’s Refujio “Cuco” Rodriguez.
“I found it as a way of supporting what [the Amsterdam News was] doing, but also to bring the conversation to other markets,” said Barnes. “I think cities where our newspapers are located—Black-owned newspapers—are challenged with gun violence. We’re all looking for the role that we can play as publishers and reporters and staff members to figure out what we can do to help to stem this gun violence that’s really devastating our communities right now.”
Her paper serves the Black communities of Washington, D.C., as well as neighboring areas in Maryland and Virginia. Barnes said there are specific challenges for addressing gun violence in the nation’s capital due to the lack of statehood—all citywide legislation needs congressional review, blending local politics with national politics and bogging down the process significantly. The U.S. Census estimates that roughly 45% of D.C. residents were Black last year.
Across the country, Rodriguez serves as chief equity program officer for the Hope and Heal Fund in California. The state-backed organization emerged from a summit after the 2015 San Bernardino shooting and also tackles gun violence as a public health issue.
“It’s really important as a philanthropic organization to identify work that’s occurring all throughout the country, because part of it is an understanding of how the issues are affecting different communities [and] looking at patterns of similarities and what projects are working—what are we learning?” he said. “It’s an ever-evolving issue. And it is really important in terms of doing a lot of the work beyond just the state work. From our standpoint, it’s important that we look at the subtle differences and similarities in terms of what’s happening across the country.”
Barnes and Rodriguez spoke together on a panel covering challenges to gun violence solutions, including in media coverage.
The convening is in partnership with the nonprofit news organization The Trace.
For more information, visit Beyond The Barrel of The Gun - Convenings - New York Amsterdam News.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
@19mins Kimberly Davis said church's in Detroit don't want to assist her organization because they go against LEO and the church's don't want to go against LEO even though they go against the black & brown community.
FROM SORROW TO SOLUTIONS: AmNews hosts gun violence convening
It took almost 114 years, but the Amsterdam News just hosted its first virtual convening for the newspaper's “Beyond the Barrel of the Gun” initiative on Monday, Feb. 28.
amsterdamnews.com
FROM SORROW TO SOLUTIONS: AmNews hosts gun violence convening
Amsterdam News holds first of 12 ‘Beyond the Barrel of the Gun’ virtual convenings
It took almost 114 years, but the Amsterdam News just hosted its first virtual convening for the newspaper’s “Beyond the Barrel of the Gun” initiative this past Monday, Feb. 28. Titled “From Sorrow to Solutions,” the online conversation invited anti-gun violence stakeholders to address shootings in Black and brown communities as a public health crisis.
Publisher Elinor Tatum and investigative editor Damaso Reyes took turns moderating the first three panels, which were split to cover the sorrow, challenges, and solutions stemming from gun violence. A fourth panel featured members from nonprofit news organization The Trace addressing media driven solutions when covering shootings.
In the first panel, Tatum was joined by Protect Our Stolen Treasures (P.O.S.T.) founder
Kimberly Davis, Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E. founder Jackie Rowe-Adams and Sacramento Observer publisher Larry Lee to talk about the leftover traumas from losing a loved one to gun violence.
“You understand that the person who was killed and after that pretty much everybody else goes on with their day,” said Davis, who lost her son Kimoni to a 2015 police shooting. “But as a mother of a child killed, we have to remember that every day. Not only is it a void in our family, that person could have added a staple in our society. They could have been a future doctor or lawyer or anything. So it’s not just the family that has the loss, it’s the community as well.”
Reyes hosted the second panel addressing the roadblocks to curing gun violence as a public health crisis. He was joined by Columbia University professor Dr. Charles Branas, Hope and Heal Fund Chief Equity Program Officer Refujio “Cuco” Rodriguez, The Washington Informer publisher Denise Barnes and Life Camp, Inc. founder Erica Ford, who championed community-based solutions.
From Sorrow to Solutions Virtual Convening
Larry Lee, Publisher of the Sacramento Observer
“The criminalization, the more police—that’s easy, it doesn’t require [anything] to put a cop and say stop, I’m gonna rescue [you],” said Ford. “But to talk someone off a ledge and get them to put that gun down. [To] make a different decision on how they were going to address that interpersonal conflict. [To] help that family heal after they lose their child so that they don’t look to take another child’s life or they don’t look to take their own lives.
“Those are the real things and it tremendously impacts our city. Our government doesn’t invest in the people who need it the most.”
Reyes and Tatum were joined on the penultimate panel by NYC Department of Education Chancellor David C. Banks, Knight Foundation Vice President of Journalism Jim Brady and Common Justice founder Danielle Sered to discuss creative solutions towards the gun violence problem. Banks recommended starting in the classroom.
“I was at Rikers Island a few months ago and I talked to all these young men,” he said. “I said ‘how did you wind up here’…each story had the commonality: a disconnection from school. While in Rikers, they were doing carpentry, electrical, HVAC and plumbing. They were learning a trade. One young man put a hand up and said, ‘Mister, if I was doing stuff like this when I was in school, I would’ve gone to school every day.’”
The last panel featured The Trace’s Jennifer Mascia, Mensah M. Dean and Justin Agrelo, along with Temple University researcher Dr. Jessica Beard. They highlighted news gathering methods that stray away from traditional shooting coverage and instead tackle the heart of the matter. The speakers advised young reporters to connect the dots and seek out patterns in local gun violence for bigger picture stories.
“Beyond the Barrel of the Gun” was announced last August as a three-year, solutions-based reporting initiative addressing gun violence in Black and brown communities. Monday’s convening is the first of 12 such conversations. Founded in 1909, The Amsterdam News is the city’s oldest and largest Black newspaper. Sorry in advance to the subscribers and weekly readers who already know this.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recorded an introduction for the convening. He couldn’t make it live, but promised to try to attend the next one. The senator echoed the panelists, supporting local violence interruption efforts.
“There’s a better path than gangs, there’s a better path than guns, there’s a better path than shooting,” said Schumer. “And community violence intervention shows people that [a] better path is available. Because the data is clear. Community intervention works, especially in tandem with traditional policing to address problems before the trigger is pulled.
“We all need to do our part. Well, the Amsterdam News and Elinor [Tatum] sure are as usual.”
Interested in getting involved with “Beyond the Barrel?” Reach out to Sam.Bennett@AmsterdamNews.com
