ISAAC
The new Gun Violence Task Force met on Tuesday, November 26. Twelve members were present with a few unable to attend this first meeting.
Subsequent meetings will be held each 4th Tuesday from 6:30 – 8:00 pm.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 29 at St. Luke’s.
The members present spent some time getting to know each other, sharing our reasons in joining this task force and its gun violence prevention work.
Opportunities identified included possible legislation and ramifications for our communities; State Board of Education, local schools and current school safety efforts; Kalamazoo groups/programs already doing GVP work in our area; and connections to the Everytown for Gun Safety network of best practices/resources.
Challenges included multiple areas affected by gun violence in our community; how to educate others on the issues/numbers/impact of gun violence; connections of guns and trauma in lives of victims, perpetrators and children; impact of gun violence on communities of color; how to include all voices in the efforts and solutions; and who to meet and engage with in the community to learn about gun violence in Kalamazoo.
A Service and Remembrance Vigil for Kalamazoo Victims of Gun Violence will be held on Sunday February 19, 2020, at Galilee Baptist Church, starting at 4 pm, sponsored by Coalition for Common Ground and others.
– Rick Omilian, Gun Violence Task Force co-chair
Ed Genesis is an artist, poet, musician, organizer, entrepreneur, and community leader. Born and raised in Gary, Indiana and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan permanently in his early 20’s, his love of art/music, his passion for his people and community, and his gift of creativity are evident in all areas of his work. In October 2018 Ed Genesis released a song to accompany the campaign he was working on around school push out, entitled Junior High, which was distributed nationwide including on his own iHeart radio station, Spotify, and iTunes.