Unloading: Community Solutions for Gun Violence Kate, Mijo, and Sarah

We meet with Curtis and Jason from Chicago CRED (Creating Real Economic Destiny). is an anti-gun violence organization co-founded in 2016 by Arne Duncan, a former U.S. Secretary of Education and CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and Laurene Powell Jobs, the founder and president of Emerson Collective, a Palo Alto-based social impact organization.” Chicago CRED believes in investing in the community, more specifically investing in the people within the community to reduce the homicide rates. Their goal is to reduce gun violence by 20% annually for the next 5 years.

To learn more about Chicago CRED, visit chicacocred.org.

DeAndra is a volunteer with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action and a Senior Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network. On February 1, 2014, DeAndra's 13-year-old son, DeAndre (Dre), was struck by a stray bullet at a birthday party. Dre survived, but was critically wounded and can no longer walk or talk. Since Dre was shot, DeAndra has become a dedicated activist with a focus on raising awareness for wounded/disabled victims of gun violence and the struggles they face. DeAndra now oversees a new advocacy and support program for non-fatal shooting survivors for the City of Indianapolis. Funded by the American Rescue Plan, the program is operated in partnership between DeAndra, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, IUPUI's O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety. DeAndra is also the Founder and Executive Director of Purpose 4 My Pain, a resource hub providing support for women and families personally affected by gun violence.
For resources for non-fatal shooting victims in Indianapolis, visit indynfsresources.com. To learn more about Deandra’s organization, Purpose4MyPain, you can visit purpose4mypain.org

Dr. Kelsey Gastineau, M.D. (she/her) is a Moms Demand Action volunteer and board-certified pediatrician based in Nashville, TN. A public health researcher, Dr. Gastineau is also a physician advocate specializing in pediatric injury prevention. One of her focuses is on safe firearm storage as a Be SMART program advocate, a framework designed to help parents and adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions to prevent child gun deaths and injuries. Her research experience and interests include implementation of evidence-based, community-focused interventions and secondary data base analysis to reduce firearm injuries in youth. Her recent publications on this topic include utilizing the Be SMART program -- along with quality improvement methodologies -- to improve firearm safety discussions in a resident-based clinic in South Carolina, evaluating the increase in pediatric firearm-related hospital encounters during the COVID-19 pandemic, and demonstrating the increasing burden of pediatric mortality and widening racial inequities due to firearm violence. She is a member of the Tennessee American Academy of Pediatrics.
Julvonnia McDowell (she/her) is a volunteer with the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action. Julvonnia's 14-year-old son, JaJuan, was unintentionally shot and killed by another teen playing with an unsecured gun on April 7, 2016 while visiting family in Savannah, GA for spring break. Julvonnia joined Moms Demand Action shortly after JaJuan’s death. As a leader in the survivor community, she is a dedicated mentor and support system for survivors and encourages a robust foundation of strength. One of her focuses is on safe gun storage as a Be SMART program advocate, a framework designed to help parents and adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions to prevent child gun deaths and injuries.

To learn more about the BeSmart framework and ways to promote responsible gun ownership in your community, you can visit besmartforkids.org.

Po lived next door to Adam Lanza and his family and knows intimately about the pain caused by the Sandy Hook shooting. She and other community members gathered briefly after the shooting to form the “Sandy Hook Promise.” with the mission to prevent tragedies from happening to other communities through advocacy and programs that teach youth and adults how to prevent violence and shootings. Po branched out to create the Newton Action Alliance, a volunteer grassroots organization that advocates for life-saving gun violence prevention policies. Po has been honored for Women's History Month by the Brady Campaign for her dedication to gun violence prevention and is leading the campaign urging Congress to pass the Protect Our Kids Act. Her organization produced the video: "Is this normal?" that was released around the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting.
To learn more about the Newtown Action Alliance and ways in which you can help advocate for legislative and cultural change, visit newtownactionalliance.org.

Ashley (she/her) is a junior at Hollywood High School in California, where she is a leader with Students Demand Action. Ashley first joined Students Demand Action as a participant in the 2021 South Central Los Angeles Summer Leadership Academy. Ashley’s community is heavily impacted by gun violence and she has endured numerous active shooter threats and drills throughout her schooling years, including coming face-to-face with a shooter when she was in elementary school. In December 2021, a bus carrying students home from Hollywood High School was hit by bullets.

Mia (she/her) is an eighteen year-old wounded survivor of the 2019 ghost gun mass shooting at Saugus High School. She is a passionate gun violence prevention advocate with Students Demand Action and other organizations. Mia is looking forward to applying to colleges this fall and finishing out her senior year at Saugus High School. She’s hoping to major in Psychology and work with other victims of violent crime, research ways to bridge the gap between community, law, and mental health, and use her personal experience of getting shot and losing her best friend in the shooting to help stop other senseless acts of gun violence.
To learn more about or get involved with Students Demand Action, you can visit studentsdemandaction.org.

Kat and Minorvi talk to Dr. Dennis Kuo, a pediatrician in Buffalo, NY who treats kids with disabilities and chronic conditions, including those impacted by gun violence. Dr. Kuo discusses how he talks to children and parents about firearms, the role of physicians in addressing the firearm death epidemic, and the importance of building community partnerships.