“If we could only get the right people in the room together, we could solve this problem.”

Every day, somebody somewhere says that.

And they’re right: having the right people in the same room is a big step on the path to solving a problem.

That’s why a roundtable discussion about gun violence prevention (GVP) held at an urban high school here this week was such a big step.

The right people in the room . . .

Attendees included:

  • Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) — Rep. Jacobs convened the roundtable at Hoover High School in City Heights for a broad discussion on gun violence.
  • Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO-2) — Neguse, as part of his work on the House Judiciary Committee, is traveling to meet with different representatives on a variety of topics. Rep. Jacobs suggested GVP as the topic for his stop in San Diego.
  • Bishop Cornelius Bowser, Shaphat Outreach — Bishop Bowser is program director of Shaphat Outreach, a ministry within Charity Apostolic Church. Shaphat’s mission is to intervene in the lives of people actively involved in gang/gun violence through cognitive behavior therapy, wrap-around services and education.
  • Pastor Jesús Sandoval, Community Wrap Initiative — Like Bishop Bowser, Pastor Sandoval is a former gang member who now directs a faith-based organization with a mission to de-escalate tensions and intervene before violence happens. Pastor Sandoval also plays the crucial role of executive director of the San Diego Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention.
  • April Laster, Open Heart Leaders — OHL is the only African American female-led organization in San Diego providing full wrap-around services in mental health and education.
  • Kimberly De Alba and Solange Uwimana, Hoover High School — Kimberly and Solange represented the student perspective on dealing with gun violence.
  • Max Coston, March for Our Lives — Max is the executive director of the San Diego chapter of MFOL, founded after the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
  • Officer Terry Hoskins, San Diego Police Department — Officer Hoskins handles community relations in the Mid-City region around Hoover High School.
  • Carol Landale, Therese Hymer and Kara Chine, San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention — Carol, Therese and Kara are board members with SD4GVP. SD4GVP collaborates with and supports the community-based organizations that work to prevent and intervene in gun violence in San Diego.

. . . and good signs

As we’ve pointed out before, most days it’s easier to find ammunition than it is to find hope.

Still, it’s a good sign that members of Congress are learning from policemen, from students and from community partners representing gun-violence survivors.

And it’s a good sign that the Union-Tribune is reporting how affected communities voice their anguish about the daily gun violence that plagues them.

After a weekend marked by at least 10 mass shootings in the U.S., we’ll take good signs wherever we can find them.

John White is a volunteer with SD4GVP.

photo credit: Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune

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