The Sac Bee | Here’s how California can help gun violence survivors begin to heal

“No one should navigate surviving gun violence alone.”

In a powerful new Sacramento Bee op-ed, gun violence survivor Jazzy Eastman shares her journey of survival and healing, and why California must pass the THRIVE Act.

Jazzy was just 16 when she was shot. In the months that followed, she struggled to access support through California’s victim compensation system. It wasn’t until she connected with a mental health counselor at Youth ALIVE! that she found a safe space to process her trauma, reconnect with herself, and begin to heal.

As Jazzy writes: “A therapist changed everything.”

Nearly 6,000 young people in California are injured by or witness gun violence each year, yet fewer than one in three receive mental health support within six months. The THRIVE Act, co-sponsored by Youth ALIVE!, Californians for Safety and Justice, and Assemblymember Sade Elhawary, would provide free, trauma-informed mental health services to young survivors and witnesses of gun violence.

Surviving violence should not mean navigating trauma alone. Healing is violence prevention, and every young survivor deserves access to care, dignity, and support.

We are deeply grateful to Jazzy for sharing her story and using her voice to advocate for other young survivors across California.

Read the full op-ed in the Sacramento Bee:
How California can help gun violence survivors begin to heal