Gun Violence Community Forum to Seek Solutions, Provide Support (ICYMI)

PORTLAND, OR – April 11, April 12, and April 15: Three days, three shooting deaths in the Portland metro region last week. All were different in context and criminality, but all carried the same weight for those left behind. And last week was not an exception to the norm.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, one Oregonian per day –– on average –– dies from a firearm-related injury, the vast majority of which are suicides by men over 45 years old.

As gun violence continues and arguments for and against gun control get mired in constitutional mandates, with either side taking the extreme position of all or nothing, advocates in the public health sector have begun thinking proactively –– questioning what is the root cause of gun violence, and whether there are tangible ways to bring about its end by focusing resources on public health initiatives that not only address firearm use and ownership but also the socioeconomic circumstances that most often lead to shooting death incidents.

On Saturday, April 22, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Portland State University officials will host the 'Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue' community forum from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Highland Christian Center, 7600 N.E. Glisan St. The event is free, though registration is requested.

Building on the work many organizations have already done in the community, the forum will give attendees an opportunity to talk about gun violence as a preventable public health issue, and hear from speakers who come from a variety of backgrounds to talk about the contexts and circumstances that most often lead to incidents of gun violence.

According to OHSU spokeswoman Tracy Brawley, the forum will offer families and individuals directly impacted by violence –– as well as community members interested in making a difference –– a safe venue to collaborate on ideas to reduce gun violence, address the social and societal conditions that contribute to it, and advance the mission of healing and hope.

"The precursors to interpersonal violence, partner violence, or suicide are squarely public health issues," Dr. Ryan Petteway, assistant professor at the OHSU-PSU School for Public Health, told Patch Monday. "We (need) to stop blaming individuals for either hurting themselves or hurting each other. We can’t blame individuals anymore. That's not the way gun violence works."

There are plenty of responsible gun owners, Petteway explained, who don't need to have their rights threatened because of irresponsible firearm users.

"There are reasons why people have relationships with guns that have nothing to do with committing a crime or hurting themselves or hurting other people," he said. "It'd be completely unfair to say no guns at all and just ignore the valid reasons for which people would want guns. But I think we have to make a distinction between individuals who want guns for an irrational purpose and wanting or needing a gun for an actual practical purpose … and (the forums) are ways for public health professionals to bring their expertise, their knowledge, and their research to the table to really do something about it on a larger level."

'Be Moved to Care'

The April 22 forum will be the second in a three-part series, Petteway said. The first was held in January for students, specifically. The third will be held in May and will speak to local elected leaders and members of the business community.

"We are all one person away from knowing somebody who knows somebody who has had this experience of an unexpected, violent, traumatic loss," said Portland resident Kimberely Dixon, who lost her 21-year-old son Andreas Prince Jones-Dixon when he was shot and killed in the parking lot of his Rockwood neighborhood apartment complex in 2013. "It's not just the family; it's not the loved ones; it's we as a community that's impacted.”

The trouble is, Dixon continued, the community –– as a whole –– doesn't seem to see it that way.

"We have children in school who knows somebody who knows somebody (lost to gun violence)," she said. "That's why teachers need to be informed and aware of the trauma that impacts students. We all need to be aware. And that's what the forum is bringing to light."

Using key note presentations and small break-out groups, the forum will offer attendees an opportunity to share stories and ideas for what individuals can do to support people in their communities.

"No life deserves to be taken. Every life is valuable," Dixon said, noting the disparity of attention given to some gun deaths in comparison to others –– specifically when the victim is a young man of color. "My son, my baby was murdered. And unfortunately I'm not the only parent who's had this experience. That should mean something to the community. We should be at unrest that any family would lose a child –– lose a loved one. We should be moved to care."

Dixon said she attends as many vigils and services for victims of gun violence in the Portland area as she can, trying to set an example of how possible it truly is to just show your neighbors you care. It's called 'kuleana', she said –– a Hawaiian word that refers to the reciprocal relationship between a person who is responsible, and the thing for which they are responsible.

Essentially, Dixon said, if she's to expect her community to take care of her when she's in need, she has a responsibility to her community to be supportive when it's in need.

"The reality is, if you live and breathe in the community you have a part to play in the solution," Dixon explained. "This is the same thing we're asking our police force to do: To get out of their cars and engage with the community. We have to engage with one another. We can't keep turning a blind eye as though we don't see that young person over there struggling … we must engage as human beings and raise the ante to say that life is valuable."

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