“No More Mass Shootings & Violence” Panel Addresses Solutions to the Public Health Issue

By Julia Strugala | Published September 30, 2022

Kean partnered with The NAACP and The Lesniak Institute to have a panel discussion on the topic of gun violence and how it affects different age groups. The event took place on September 20th from 6-8 p.m. on the 6th Floor of the Kean STEM building. 

Politicians, community leaders, and professors who have proposed gun reform legislation joined together to hold an open discussion. Introductory remarks took place for the first hour where each panelist discussed the impact of gun violence and their work to combat it.

Jamel C. Holley opened the discussion by sharing his experience as Mayor of Roselle from 2012-2015. In Holley’s first four months as mayor, two major shootings and deaths took place in the Borough of Roselle. 

Roselle lost four young men in 2012, two of which were sitting on a porch when a drive-by occurred. Five gunshots were heard throughout the neighborhood that led to four men being shot, two pronounced dead. Another occurred in a park across the street from an elementary school where a seventeen-year-old boy was shot and killed in broad daylight.

“My experience is that these shootings happen, we push for legislation for a few weeks, and then it goes away until another shooting,” Holley said, who began to advocate for Common-sense gun legislation.

Holley joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a non-profit alliance group, to push legislation across the country. At the time, there were few mayors in Union who were a part of the alliance. Today, there are mayors from over fifteen Union counties who have signed a Statement of Principles against illegal guns. 

“Almost every mass shooting that we had, someone knew something about it beforehand. If just one person picked up the phone to call the police, those lives could have been saved. I think it’s time to start to bring these bills to life,” said panelist Shawn McClain, Elizabeth Branch President of the NAACP. 

“Can you imagine finding out it was your child? You’re going to want to do something. You’re going to want to make it better for the next person,” He said. He added that we the people “decide what bills are passed. We need to work together to find strategies to stop gun violence.” 

Dr. Sancha Gray took to the podium to express her outlook on the impact of gun violence on children. As Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurial Education Initiatives at Kean University, Gray strives to ensure schools are safe places for children. 

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to attend a funeral because of senseless gun violence. If my phone rang after 8 p.m., I would always clench my stomach,” Gray said. “I heard about a situation where a four-year-old student was shot on a playground.”

Gray said that students are never too young to speak out and say something. She advises everyone to connect with a staff member in the school environment to build a close relationship. If a student feels something is off, it is worth informing someone. 

Students are the most critical group of people in preventing gun violence because they are privy to things in classroom settings that adults are not. Gray is working to expand the safe space pipeline from Preschool to College to ensure students of all ages feel safe and heard.

Dr. Liza Chowdhury brought solutions to the podium with her nonprofit organization launched in 2017 entitled Reimagining Justice. The charity advocates for creating healing center solutions such as The Paterson Healing Collective, the first Hospital-based Intervention Program in Passaic County.

The non-profit offers accredited training & victim advocacy, educating families on compensation they can receive on losing work time due to grief. They also help with housing and medical bills.

The Paterson Healing Collective has helped more than 200 victims of shootings and stabbings. Paterson is a town of eight square miles where shootings happen between the same 3-4 blocks. Chowdhury is working to change the narrative of calling these blocks ‘hot spots’ to healing centers, providing case management for victims, walking them through the process of peace. 

Five survivors of gun violence have been employed by the Paterson Healing Collective as High-Risk Interventionists. They work towards restoring the community in Paterson with guidance and mentoring.

The Director of Field Operations for the non-profit, Casey Melvin, discussed the overwhelming participation in a Paterson anti-gun violence event. Casey teaches barbering courses to inmates at Passaic County Jail in his free time.

In June 2022, Governor Murphy signed seven new bills, making this his third gun safety package since taking office in 2018. Multiple state requirements have been put in place since such as training for anyone who wants to obtain a gun license in New Jersey. There is also a state requirement for people to register out-of-state guns in New Jersey and the ban of .50 caliber rifles

---