Ghost guns are untraceable firearms without serial numbers, put together from parts acquired separately. They are an increasing problem on the streets of our cities, including in Oakland, and in The New York Times has been investigating their evolution and impact in a series of articles. In a recent story, they checked-in with Youth ALIVE! Violence Interrupter Antoine Towers about what he is seeing on the streets of Oakland. From the article:
All Youth ALIVE! programs are about healing and innovation. And our Counseling Services may be our most innovative program of all. These have been particularly busy times for the therapists in Youth ALIVE!’s counseling services. Youth ALIVE!’s bi-lingual, bi-cultural therapists serve those impacted by violence, regardless of their ability to pay. But after two years of COVID-related disruption and bitter national divide, no one has been left untouched and whole, emotionally. Our therapists tell us they see a general mental health crisis in the community.
On the first day of October we gathered with our comrades at Broken By Violence (BBV) and Crime Survivors for Safety & Justice (CSSJ) to view a brief, important documentary by and about survivors of violence, and to listen to the insights of a panel of survivors, including YA!’s Jasmine Hardison and Paris Davis, as they talked about the needs – and rights – of survivors, about their own journeys toward healing and their hopes for the future of Oakland. We were joined by Mayor Libby Schaaf who patiently took questions after the screening, as well as Councilmember Treva Reid and Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks and Mia Bonta.
[
](http://Inside the San Francisco Bay Area’s pandemic murder surge: ‘No one knows this pain but us’)The nation is aware of a general increase in gun violence, roughly coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. There is much discussion, at many levels – in the media, before legislatures and city councils, and on the streets – about possible solutions.
A September 2021 article in The Guardian on Oakland’s 100th homicide of 2021 is a clear-headed assessment of the current surge in gun violence, and how it affects lower-income Black and Latino communities most.
With watch parties from Antioch to Oakland and friends and families tuning in all across the country, our 30th anniversary event, Saving Lives for 30 Years! was a big success and a lot of fun. With over 200 attendees, so far we have raised nearly $100,000. Thank you for your donations and your interest in our work! Donations continue to come in in response to the event and video. You can donate here. Or become a member of our Community Circle with a multi-year commitment to our life-saving programs.
Video: Where There is Violence, There Can Be Healing
Posted September 20, 2021
A Youth ALIVE! Documentary -
Image from the video: Where There is Violence, There Can Be Healing
Where There is Violence, There Can Be Healing is a 12-minute film about the work of our programs for violence prevention, intervention and healing in Oakland and beyond. The video features the voices of YA! staff, past and present, people from the community who bring love and support to our streets, hospitals, schools, who intervene in moments of crisis to mediate conflicts before the guns come out, who embrace the wounded and those who have lost a loved one to violence, who offer mentoring, counseling, and who step in wherever there is trauma that needs to be healed.
Today, Youth ALIVE! releases its 2020-2021 annual report, We Never Stopped: Preventing Violence & Saving Lives for 30 Years. It’s full of great pictures old and new. There are results from the work of our programs over the last year, and lots of history: of our founding and our evolution, as well as the evolution of the nation’s appreciation for the power of community violence intervention and healing.
The City of Oakland’s new $100K fund to cover towing fees for victims of violent crime is in the news. Advocacy to create the fund was inspired by the experiences of victims of violent crime and YA! clients. Read more about it in the media -
Youth ALIVE! in New York Times as part of a mom's busy week
Posted August 30, 2021
Moms Demand Action founder visits YA
The June 6, 2019 Edition of the New York Times included a “work diary” of a week in the life of Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action. Because of our partnership on ending gun violence, Shannon came to visit us at our Oakland offices. Excerpts below:
