Rochester gun violence survivor speaks out

ROCHESTER, NY — It’s Wear Orange weekend across the country to raise awareness about gun violence.

Last year, nearly 43,000 Americans died as a result of gun violence in the United States, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management. Last month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced significant and sustained progress in the fight against gun violence in New York State. But even with improvement, any number greater than zero is too high.

“On July 21, 2022, I was a victim of armed violence. I was shot eight times. Rise Up Rochester was actually one of the first people to come in and do an admission and help me transition from that hospital to society,” said Master Glover, Outreach Coordinator at Rise Up Rochester.

It was a day that changed his life. He said he was shot in broad daylight after leaving work by eight bullets from two different weapons. Several other people were shot that day and not everyone survived.

“I remember going into the operating room and I just remember asking the lady: I ​​don’t want to die. She said, everything will be fine,’” Glover recalled.

Glover was shot twice in the left leg, twice in the right leg, back, chest and wrist. He says he remembers everything, from the moment he was shot to the moment he had emergency surgery. He went from a walker to crutches and then back to being able to walk, but it wasn’t easy.

“It’s a difficult transition from being able to, one day, wake up normally and do everything you wanted to do, and having your life changed by gunshots and especially eight of them. It was a tough time,” Glover explained, “I consider myself very lucky because a lot of people that I know in life, period, take a bullet and are no longer here with us. So for me to be able to survive eight shots in my body and be able to move around and do the things that I do, I feel really blessed.

His experience is far from the only story involving gun violence. His colleague, Keyvio Owens, lost his brother to gun violence. That’s how Owens also found a job at Rise Up Rochester.

“I know a lot of people who have been shot and died, from family to friends to people I talk to every day who are not here because they lost their lives to gun violence” , Glover said.

“So when I felt mentally and emotionally healthy enough, I decided to come stand up in our church and simply ask: How can I help? How can I get involved? » asked Owens.

Glover and Owens now use their positions to help fund safe housing options, guide victims in their grief and healing, and encourage everyone to talk about their issues, rather than pulling the trigger on conflict. It’s all about raising awareness.

“Basically raise awareness that you don’t have to take someone’s life. They don’t need to come up with a solution in case someone gets shot, as a lot of problems could probably be solved with a simple conversation,” Glover explained. “You don’t have to resort to trying to take someone’s life because it’s not a video game. You can’t hit the reset button and you’ll get your life back. So once you take someone’s life, not only is their family affected, but if you end up getting caught, your family life is affected as well.

Both say their positions have been rewarding and they hope they can inspire more people.

“I try to be an inspiration to them, because a lot of people, since I’ve been doing this work, have only met a few people who have been shot as many times as I have. I survived, but usually I would have two, even one shot of the ball is more than enough, but just to be able to show them the type of work that I do, how I still move, and just to basically give give them some form of motivation. You can’t just sit back and feel sorry for yourself. You have to keep living because you still have your life,” Glover said.