California Assemblymember Mike Gipson and local nonprofits will also participate in the special event aimed at comforting and supporting victims of gun violence.
Grant AME Church, Everytown For Gun Safety and State Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) will co-host a special program to show support for victims of gun violence.
The free event takes place on Saturday, November 6, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., on the Grant AME campus, 10435 South Central Avenue in Los Angeles, announced the Rev. Dr. J. Arthur Rumph, host pastor. Also, attendees are invited to donate personal items of loved ones, which will be placed at the Gun Violence Memorial Project in Washington D.C.
“The Grant AME congregation appreciates collaborating with Everytown and Assemblymember Gipson to focus attention on this devastating crisis that affects the Watts community and people throughout the country,” said Rumph. “We are also thankful for Arvis Jones, one of Grant’s music directors who recommended the partnership with this highly regarded national violence prevention organization.”
Everytown For Gun Safety is comprised of Everytown Survivor Network, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. More than 6 million people are involved in the movement, whose members include mothers, survivors, students, elected officials and everyday Americans.
Jones, a grief, loss and trauma specialist and member of Moms Demand Action, was personally impacted by gun violence when her son, Damon Jones Sr., was killed by a firearm. Ironically, she had already begun her grief ministry prior to that tragic incident. Her efforts were profiled in the L.A. Sentinel in September 2018.
In anticipation of the upcoming gathering, Jones said, “This day will be filled with information, resource tables, refreshments, children’s activities and loving support for all attendees.”
She added that participants include LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingrides, Khalid Shah, founder/CEO of Stop The Violence, Increase The Peace; Dr. Aquil Basheer, founder and executive director of Professional Community Intervention Training Institute (PCIT) and Brotherhood Unified for Independent Leadership Through Discipline Program (BUILD); Kevin Orange, co-founder of Advocates for Peace and Urban Unity; Shari Farmer, field deputy/community outreach coordinator for L.A. County District Attorney’s Bureau of Victim Services; and La Wanda Hawkins, founder of Justice For Murdered Children.
To learn more, email Clare Senchyna at [email protected].
