Everhart Announces Gun Violence Prevention Office

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Common City Councilmember Zeneta Everhart has been working with the White House on gun violence prevention efforts since the Buffalo mass shooting in May 2022 that claimed the lives of 10 of our friends and neighbors. Everhart’s son, Zaire Goodman, was injured in the shooting.

“I’m exhausted. I’m tired of hearing people talk about gun violence,” Everhart said.

Everhart said that because of the Buffalo mass shooting, there is now an Office of Gun Violence Prevention at the White House and that a designated office in Western New York would help connect people to important resources.

“The office will look exactly like what we see at the White House,” Everhart said. “They’ll be there to support these community organizations. This office is about making sure that if someone gets shot on the street, their mother can get counseling so she’s not stressed out and sleeping in the middle of the night. I know what that feels like.”

Everhart and many others, including Stop The Violence President Murray Holman, believe an Office of Gun Violence Prevention could make a difference.

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“We’re at a new phase in trying to educate our youth not to pick up guns,” Holman said. “We need more organizations to talk to youth, to families, and to hold parents accountable for letting their kids carry guns.”

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“Gun violence has no socioeconomic context. It affects all of us,” said Kareema Morris, founder of Bury the Violence. “We live in fear. It affects our entire community, our city, and our babies. We’re starting to lose our babies with no explanation.”

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“My wife and I started our program because I lost a son. Her daughter was also murdered. We know firsthand what it feels like to lose a loved one to gun violence,” said Billie Webster, president of Mothers Against Violence. “We need your help. We all need to come together.”

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“To make sure our young people are there, we need to address gun violence. But it’s not enough to just talk about what we need to do. It’s also important that we put resources, time and energy into real policy that can change lives,” said City Councilor Leah M. Halton-Pope. “We can find ways to engage with young people and our community as a whole.”

The announcement follows a violent weekend in the city of Buffalo.

“We’ve had a total of four shootings that have resulted in six victims,” ​​Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said.

Commissioner Gramaglia told 7 News the shootings happened at parties and one happened outside a bar.

“Our officers were pursuing groups all weekend. We dispersed a significant number of groups over the weekend,” Gramaglia said.

Law enforcement is working to stop the violence.

“I’ve had several discussions over the last few years with Greg Jackson in Washington, D.C., from the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention,” Gramaglia said. “We’re always willing to work with everyone as a community to keep our community safe and reduce the number of shootings to zero.”

Everhart said the office would be funded by the federal government and she hopes to have it up and running within City Hall before the end of the year. It will be known by the acronym “BISON,” Buffalo Initiative for Safer, Organized Neighborhoods.