Anti-Gun Violence News Conference Set
Nov. 9, 2021 – A news conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday Nov. 10 at 600 Jefferson Ave. – Methodist Le Bonheur Community Outreach - to announce three upcoming events regarding efforts to curb gun violence in the community.
Two of the events will be public meetings next week, while the third event is the sixth Unity Walk Against Gun Violence to be held Saturday Nov. 13 starting at 10 a.m. at Raleigh Egypt High School at 3970 Voltaire Ave.
Registration and assembly for the 1.6-mile walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Masks are required. Speakers at the 11 a.m. news conference Wednesday will include:
Shelby County District Attorney Gen. Amy Weirich; Pastor Reginald Boyce of Riverside Missionary Baptist Church in South Memphis; Pastor Brennan Hill of Pursuit of God Church in Frayser; Erika Kelley with Moms Demand Action; Stevie Moore with Freedom from Unnecessary Negatives, and Bill Gibbons with the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission.
* * *
The community meetings will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 16 at Pursuit of God Transformational Center at 3759 N. Watkins in Frayser and on Thursday Nov. 18 at Riverside Missionary Baptist Church at 3560 S. Third St.
The purpose of the community meetings is to hear from law enforcement, prosecutors, health care leaders, and other key community stakeholders about specific ways to curb gun violence, with opportunity for feedback and input.
Speakers at the Nov. 16 Pursuit of God meeting will include Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis; DA Weirich; Erika Kelley and Mary Powers of Moms Demand Action; Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner; Dr. Michelle Taylor, Director of the Shelby County Health Department; Acting U.S. Atty. Joe Murphy, and Vinessa Brown of Lifeline to Success.
Speakers at Riverside Missionary Baptist on Nov. 18 will include MPD Assistant Chief Don Crowe; DA Weirich; Erika Kelley and Dave Cambron of Moms Demand Action; Sheriff Bonner; Acting U.S. Attorney Murphy; Dr. Bruce Randolph, Chief Health Officer of the Shelby County Health Department; Hazel Moore, community leader known as “the mayor of Whitehaven,” and Dr. Andy Kerwin, Chief of Trauma Surgery at Regional One Health.
Stevie Moore of Freedom from Unnecessary Negatives will moderate the discussions at both community meetings.
* * *
Saturday’s Unity Walk will be the sixth since the first walk was held in November last year in the Medical Center. More than 2,300 people have attended the walks.
The walks are sponsored by The Pledge to Protect 901, a collective of interested individuals, education and health care leaders, government agencies, and grassroots and nonprofit organizations working to end gun violence in the community.
Organizations that will have resource tables at the Unity Walk include:
Alliance Healthcare Services
Shelby County Crime Victims & Rape Crisis Center
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
YWCA Greater Memphis
Regional One Health
Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives/FFUN
Shelby County Health Department – Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR)
Shelby County Health Department - Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Moms Demand Action
Memphis Police Department – Traffic Safety
Shelby County Division of Community Services (Rental & Utility Assistance, Aging Commission of the Mid-South
Memphis Office of Youth Services – MPLOY and Ambassadors Programs
Shelby County Schools – Mental Health Center
Mid-South Transplant Foundation
Raleigh CDC
State Farm Insurance
Bell Financial Solutions LLC
Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program
Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County
Memphis PAL
Patch 55 (Providing Assisting Teaching Challenging Helping)
Memphis Public Library JobLINC.