Fabrizio Gowdy
Gadsden County News Service
Law enforcement officials, faith leaders, and community organizers gathered at the Kelly Campbell Community Center in Quincy Thursday night to strategize ways to prevent gun violence.
“This topic is important to our plight and what has been going on in our community,” said Quincy Commissioner Robin Wood, who introduced the lineup of speakers throughout the evening.
The event was put on by community group Mama and Daddy Made Me, in partnership with the Quincy Police Department.
“We can’t solve every challenge, but we can walk side by side with anyone willing to put the work in,” said Quincy Police Chief Carlos Hill.
Licensed clinical social worker Keke Lee addressed the mental health impact of gun violence.
“We have to stop treating mental health like a taboo topic—this is a real conversation that needs to be had,” said Lee.
According to Lee, gun violence is traumatic even for those who don’t personally experience it. She stressed that true recovery can only occur in the context of relationships.
“Let’s imagine a Gadsden County where children feel safe walking home from school, parents don’t have to bury their kids prematurely, teens to mentors instead of gangs, and mental health is normalized instead of stigmatized,” said Lee.
Russell Harrison, president of mentorship group Born 2 Be a Man, highlighted the role of mentoring young people. He challenged those gathered by arguing it takes just a minute and a half to mentor a young person.
“In a minute and 30 seconds, you can stop a young man from going to shoot up somebody’s house,” said Harrison.
Harrison also spoke about the importance of parents setting an example for their children, and said mentoring could be as easy as sending a text or Instagram message.
A uniting theme from speaker after speaker was that residents can’t wait for someone else to solve the problem, and that everyone has a small part to play in violence prevention and community healing.
Context
Gun violence has been a major issue in Gadsden County, which had the fifth highest rate of age-adjusted gun deaths of any Florida county in 2023, the last year for which data is available; Gadsden County’s rate is more than double the statewide average.The recent shooting of FSU linebacker Ethan Pritchard in Havana put a national spotlight on the problem.
On Sept. 10, Florida’s First District Court of Appeals struck down Florida’s ban on the open carry of firearms on second amendment grounds, a fact speakers alluded to Thursday. Chief Hill said he hopes the decision will demonstrate that residents are capable of showing “restraint.”
