What's at stake?
In a roundtable meeting cohosted by Fresno EOC, California Attorney General Rob Bonta listened to community organizations regarding the struggles and the methods they utilize to tackle gun violence on a local level.
Community organization leaders from across the central San Joaquin Valley gathered this week in southwest Fresno for the Office of Gun Violence and Prevention roundtable, where they shared their experiences with tackling gun violence with California’s top cop.
The roundtable, cohosted by the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission on May 30, is part of a series of meetings Attorney General Rob Bonta is holding throughout California to gain insight as to how local organizations and advocates are tackling gun violence in their respective communities.
“Gun violence happens and can happen anywhere,” Bonta said during opening remarks. “in churches, in shopping malls, grocery stores, schools, and even in our own backyards.”
Bonta stop comes amid a sharp hike in homicides compared to last year but, police say, less overall gun violence in Fresno–and gang-related shootings in particular– in the city.
Organization leaders shared their success stories and their struggles, including how gun violence in Fresno has affected many of them personally.
“Yesterday was the anniversary of my daughter being killed, and four days before that was my son,” said Aaron Foster, program manager for Advance Peace Fresno. “I’ll never lose focus on the work.”
Advance Peace Fresno is a community program that mentors at-risk individuals to help stop retaliatory gun violence in Fresno and break the cycle. In 2023, the program received $2 million in federal funding to expand its operations.
The program came under scrutiny last year after an employee was accused of leaking police investigation details to gang members. That same year, a report by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and Center for Global Healthy Cities found that Advance Peace Fresno contributed to a 40% decrease in firearm homicides in southwest Fresno in 2022 compared to 2021.
Foster made a note of the impact that funding has on local organizations.
“We have great ideas,” Foster said, “but if we don’t have the revenue to support it, then they’re just ideas.
“Funding is necessary, but relationships are the key,” he added, explaining the importance of supporting the community as a collective whenever anyone is impacted by gun violence.
Jesse Ornelas, regional director of programming in Merced County for Youth Leadership Institute and a Merced City Councilmember, re-emphasized the importance of building a welcoming community towards the youth, explaining that if rehabilitative resources are not readily available, at-risk youth will find another way to be seen.
“The barrier in Merced [is] they still think that they can incarcerate their way to a safer community,” Ornelas said, “but we already know that’s not that’s not going to happen.
Apart from the barriers they face and the importance of funding for their organizations, community leaders also discussed the need for collaboration between local organizations and city governments.
Stephanie Hatten is the chapter coordinator for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice in Stockton. Her son, Antwaune Burrise Sr., was killed by Stockton police officers in 2020. She shared her thoughts on the importance of city leaders and the need for them to be dedicated to reducing gun violence.
“We do not have access to strong, dedicated, honest city leaders,” Hatten said. “We need leadership that is dedicated and fully supportive of what we know we need to do from the ground so that we can go to them.”
