Humanium Metal’s Post

Check out our latest post on Humanium Metal!🧡

Right now, the city of Chicago is focused more than ever on stemming the tide of gun violence. We've been working on and investing in strategies to create safer and more just communities for a long time. In this Crain's Chicago Business op-ed, our President & CEO Ellen Alberding presents a clear, proven ecosystem of strategies that have effectively reduced gun violence in major cities--we know that Chicago can have the same success with full commitment to implementing these strategies too. In fact, we're hosting a 3-part series starting July 25th to explore this broader approach to addressing gun violence and finding solutions in Chicago. Click the link to read Ellen's op-ed and to learn more about our forthcoming series, “Ending Gun Violence in Chicago: Connecting Policy, Practice and Community.” #PublicSafety #CommunityEngagement #Chicago #GunViolencePrevention #PublicPolicy #CommunityViolenceIntervention https://lnkd.in/dsd9ep8r

🔊 New Research Sheds Light on Youth and Gun Access in High-Crime Areas A powerful new study reveals the daily reality faced by young Black men in high-crime neighborhoods, many of whom feel they need guns for self-protection. One participant, Xavier Taylor, bought his first gun at 13. He shares, "When I was younger, my dad always told me to keep a gun on me. It always stuck with me." Now 17, Xavier works as a youth advocate for The Forgotten Third, a nonprofit in Houston that supports young people navigating violence in their communities. This study, led by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), interviewed over 350 young Black men aged 15-24 from cities like Wilmington, DE, Jackson, MS, Baltimore, and Houston. Findings reveal that nearly 70% of these young men describe their neighborhoods with terms like “violent” or “dangerous.” The study also highlights the influence of family, friends, and social media on firearm access, with many youth reporting they first held guns before age 15. Research co-author Howard Henderson of Texas Southern University emphasizes the need for community dialogue: “Unless you actually have conversations with individuals who are intimately associated with the problem, you may not understand the nuances involved.” Other experts note that fear and perceived self-protection drive youth to seek guns, despite evidence showing that gun ownership often increases the risk of harm. Community advocates see these findings as both an urgent call and a unique opportunity to address gun violence by addressing its root causes. As Kathryn Bocanegra from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work puts it, meaningful solutions require seeing community members as experts, and focusing resources on those facing the impacts daily. 🤝🏾 At the Partnership, we stand alongside researchers, advocates, and community leaders to help create environments that don’t simply survive but thrive. Understanding the challenges faced by youth like Xavier is critical to shaping policies and programs that foster safety, hope, and opportunity. 🔍 Explore the study's insights and join us in advocating for community-led solutions to make Cleveland safer. #SaferCleveland #CommunityEmpowerment #EndGunViolence #YouthSafety

At Project Unloaded, our mission is rewrite the cultural narrative on guns. More guns make us less safe, and the more people who know that, the safer we'll all be. We believe that young people have the power to change gun culture and help lead us to a future with less gun violence. And in just over two years, we've reached more than 3 million teens with the facts on how guns make them less safe through social media campaigns and community partnerships. Today, The Trace and The Guardian released a story together that looks at Project Unloaded's work thus far and theory of change. In short, our approach is ambitious - and it's effective, too. If you have 10 minutes, read the full story via The Trace here: https://lnkd.in/gE63Rf8M If you want the quick version, The Guardian has it here: https://lnkd.in/gtGcH7nk

Yesterday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced the eight community-based organizations selected to receive $20,000 each for initiatives to prevent youth gun violence. The organizations will pay young New Yorkers stipends over the summer to participate in workshops, advocacy, mentorship, and beatification projects. Check out the eight organizations doing this early intervention work: - Children’s Aid NYC (Frederick Douglass Center, Upper West Side); - Grand St. Settlement (Lower East Side); - Muslim Community Network (Central Harlem); - Not Another Child (Jefferson Houses, East Harlem); - Police Athletic League (Central Harlem); - Street Corner Resources (West Harlem); - University Settlement (Lower East Side); and, - Uplift NYC (Washington Heights/Inwood). Being able to work with amazing people and contribute to programs like this makes me feel even more connected to the city I love. Speaking of amazing people, did you know that the city has a Gun Violence Prevention Task Force (GVPTF)? Well, now you do. Established in 2022, the GVPTF mobilizes strategic partnerships and resources to address the upstream roots of neighborhood gun violence through Neighborhood Safety Action Plans in each of the priority precincts. The strategies crafted by the Task Force are tailored to address the social, economic, and health challenges and opportunities found within these precincts. “The Task Force believes that programs and capacities controlled by multiple agencies can collaborate with the community to form a holistic approach to healing, prevention, and care tailored to each precinct. The Task Force is responsible for coordinating and collaborating with government agencies, City agencies, elected officials, community-based organizations, and key community stakeholders to achieve this goal.” GVPTF is co-led by First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. If you want to learn more, reach out here: gvptf@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Last week we wrapped up a pivotal 3-part series on ending gun violence in Chicago. --The first program focused on community safety. --The second program highlighted ending the flow of illegal guns in community. --The final program emphasized the influence of youth & social media in interrupting gun violence. You can read that story below. We created this series to reframe the discussion around gun violence prevention and public safety by examining solutions and prevention strategies, among other evidence-informed tactics. We're working with our partners to produce a comprehensive white paper for regional policymakers, positioning gun policy as central to public safety debates. Enormous thanks to our partners at City Club of Chicago, our media partner WTTW/Chicago PBS, event moderators Brandis Griffith Friedman & Joanna Hernandez, and communications strategist Laurie Glenn & her team at THINKINC for a successful collaboration. Thanks, also, to every panelist and organization that participated. All of our efforts and strategies are central to eliminating gun in Chicago. We know it can be done. #EndingGunViolence #EndingGunViolenceChicago #GunViolencePrevention #PublicSafety #PublicPolicy #Chicago https://lnkd.in/g5m52QFe

Along with the Ad Council Research Institute, I'm honored to launch a compilation report detailing the findings of two independent studies of the public’s views on the impact of gun violence on children and what can be done to reduce it. The new report includes findings from a mixed-method qualitative study of 74 participants, and a quantitative survey of over 3,000 respondents. The big picture? Americans are more alike than they are different when it comes to beliefs about gun violence’s impact on children and how to reduce it - including gun safety responsibility, education, and the overwhelming need to reduce the impact of gun violence on children and teens. The issue is, they're hesitant and unsure of how to start conversations on the topic. Download the report here: https://lnkd.in/gZjAJQDD

The Path to Gun Control in America Goes through Political Philosophy - PDF: https://lnkd.in/gRb5kcrh America’s great gun debate is about more than guns, and Thomas Wells sets out to examine its philosophical dimensions. As someone who worked at the debate’s white-hot core for years, I greatly appreciate his contribution. Volume 2, Number 1 Spring 2019 DOI: 10.25335/M5/PPJ.1.1 communities. And sweeping changes in state law and a new tenor in the halls of Congress are the undeniable results. That the process is slow—perhaps too slow, disastrously slow—is not enough to declare this a “democratic failure,” or today’s activists “undermotivated.” His focus on the ideas underpinning the debate, necessarily a critique of the messaging and positions adopted by the gun violence prevention movement, is refreshing, though at times I think slightly misplaced. For example, in drawing a contrast between what he sees as the dominant “public health argument” for gun violence prevention and a “values” argument that makes the case in philosophical terms, he goes too far in minimizing how consequential gun violence is for the American public and the power inherent in acknowledging it. “Truth is not the same thing as political significance,” he writes—but preserving and protecting life is moral high-ground, and many committed advocates draw their sense of righteousness from the knowledge they are standing on it. Likewise, I think many observers fail to appreciate the advances being made by today’s gun violence prevention advocates. In my observation, the relative power of the gun violence prevention movement has grown according to the resources available and the institutions for effectively employing them (which does not corroborate—though need not contradict—Wells’s thesis about the centrality of values). There has been a sea-change in these two factors over the last decade, as private and public funders have poured resources into a once-starved movement, fueling durable organizations that are fostering activity in university laboratories, legislative chambers, and Nevertheless, I do not dispute Wells’s main assertion that the gun violence prevention movement could—and should—do a better job explaining how its recommendations will yield “a better society, not merely … a safer one.” Marc Solomon, who helped lead the marriage equality movement, wrote that they won by convincing people that, “in order for them to live up to their own value system,” they needed to adopt a new position on marriage.1 Gun violence prevention advocates would be wise to engage in similar thinking. Wells’s proposals of how to do so are a good place to start.

"I want to focus on one of the most challenging issues within my community- gun violence. Living on Pennsylvania Ave in SE DC, gunshots can be heard almost daily, and the solution is not simple, which is why I would start with a multifaceted approach to ending gun violence in Ward 7. Starting with raising awareness, I want to organize workshops and campaigns to educate and unionize the people of Ward 7. Then I would work toward policy changes; living in DC, I have access to local lawmakers and organizations already working on this topic to advocate for stricter gun laws but I would solely focus on Ward 7. I want to emphasize through my workshops and campaigns, the socioeconomic factors that often create gun violence, and I want to generate support and resources for the victims and survivors of gun violence. Gun violence is a very difficult and sensitive subject to work with. However, I have lived in DC almost my entire life and as I journey off to college, I want to leave my home with something that’s protecting; dignifying Ward 7 as more than a crime scene, but a community".

They're not just statistics – they're voices that need to be heard. Our latest research dives deep into young men's perspectives on gun violence and community safety https://lnkd.in/gSQrtbqR