Delaware County Black Caucus hosts Gun Violence Symposium at Cheyney University

Delaware County Black Caucus hosted a Gun Violence Symposium at Cheyney University on Saturday, October 28, 2023, to understand, acknowledge, and identify solutions to the issue of gun violence.
Gun violence has always been prevalent in the United States. It’s reached epidemic proportions in the last ten years or more. I cannot remember the last time that I read a newspaper and tuned into the morning or evening newscast to find the lead story that involved someone being shot. It appears gun violence has permeated every corner of our society without exception, yet it still appears to affect communities of color at a much higher rate.
There have been a record number of events centered around gun violence lately–but the Delaware County Black Caucus event intentionally approached the gun violence issue head-on with a series of panels, showing all sides of the issue and its impact on families, communities, government, and law enforcement.
Following introductions and prayer, Pine Forge Academy Choir set the tone for the rest of the event as the young people gracefully filed in, enveloping the room with their melodic voices singing “Black National Anthem” in perfect pitch.
Who is the Delaware County Black Caucus?
Delaware County Black Caucus’ mission is to serve as an information and advocacy vehicle to advance the interest and improve the overall quality of life for African American citizens of Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Delaware County Black Caucus’ structure is different from most organizations in that they don’t follow the traditional hierarchy of most organizations; they have no titles of president or vice president. The leadership of DCBC is comprised of Conveners William Felder, Myron McNeely, Lanna Minor, Senator Anthony H. Williams, and Malcolm Yates. This is to ensure that leadership is evenly spread out and no one individual needs to bear the entire burden of leadership.
Panel # 1: Understanding the Problem
Panelist, Jerry L. Sanders, the 63rd Sheriff of Delaware County, a former experienced Deputy Sheriff to Chief Inspector overseeing the Sheriff’s Civil and Criminal Divisions, and Court Security (Traffic Court, Family Court, Center for Criminal Justice).
Rochelle Bilal, is the first African American woman elected to the office of Philadelphia Sheriff in the 181-year history of its existence, a 27-year of the Philadelphia Police Department.
Assigned to the Bureau of Narcotic Investigations in Region 2-Philadelphia, Agent Siddiq Kamara was a Task Force Officer for the Department of Homeland Security Philadelphia SAC Office, assigned to the National Security Group.
The panelists were all in total agreement that there are far too many firearms on the streets and that those weapons were far too accessible to youth, criminal elements, those experiencing mental challenges, and others acting with malicious intent. Sheriff Sanders stated that “Universal background checks, stronger penalties for straw purchases, and loopholes for gun show purchases should be mandatory across the board.”
“All solutions are on the table. This concerns us all, and it’s going to take all of us working together to solve this problem,” said Sheriff Bilal.
Panel # 2: Acknowledging the Impact
Rochelle Yates-Whittington, the co-victim of gun violence and the mother of six children, her youngest son murdered by warring drug factions in Southwest Philadelphia, and another son, a survivor of that same shooting, brought a mother’s perspective to the panel. Both her sons were shot while visiting their grandmother’s home in Southwest Philadelphia. Yates said, “I really couldn’t comprehend how a trip to grandma’s house ended in the death of one someone and the injury of another. It was sad and traumatic.”
In 1988, Yates’s 5-year-old son, kindergartener Marcus Yates, and his older brother Malcolm Yates were caught in the crossfire inside a corner store at 60th and Springfield Avenue. With one son deceased and another son with a prognosis of paralyzation, Rochelle Yates was totally at a loss. The shooting sparked outrage across Philadelphia, but nothing changed. The violence has only intensified in the years since the senseless murder of Malcolm Yates.
Yates-Whittington has turned that tragedy into triumph as she and her family are preparing to have a face-to-face meeting with the men responsible for the shooting of her sons. She’s preparing a documentary around the extraordinary act of forgiveness she’s extending to the perpetrators who inflicted so much pain on her family. Now, an Evangelist, Yates has spent the years since the 1988 shooting bringing attention to gun violence and the damage it inflicts on communities.
Lamar Branch is co-founder and vice president of Team PowerCore, Intervention Specialist, motivational speaker, and community leader. Branch, a lifelong Chester resident, a gun violence survivor, and an activist has seen both sides of the coin.
His choices led him to be complicit in the gun violence problem, being a two-time survivor of shootings, and ultimately to redemption. Today Branch uses his experiences to show youth a different path working with the Boys and Girls Club of Chester, Chester High School, and Camelot. He’s sat at the bedside of gunshot victims, and he’s responsible for the preparation of bodies for Janazah.
Branch suffered turmoil, tragedy, and trauma throughout his youth that led him down a negative path. However, in his case, much can be said of the power of perseverance and redemption.
Adam Garber, Executive Director of Ceasefire Pa. Garber’s organization, advocates for stricter background checks, invests in safer communities, and educates the public and decision-makers about effective violence prevention programs. He’s been instrumental in spearheading Common Agenda to End Gun Violence, a coalition uniting over diverse organizations, including veterans, public health organizations, survivors of violence, and faith-based groups.
Rounding out the panel were two students from Cheyney University, a young man and a young woman who were both victims of random violence.
The pain hung in the air like humidity on a far too warm summer day as a young Cheyney student recounted his tale of being accosted by other young men, robbed at gunpoint of his belongings, the ultimate insult to injury being the taking of his shoes. It was evident that the incident which took place when he was only 14 years old has haunted him all these years, as he was visibly shaken and on the verge of tears all these years later. “It still shakes me to my core, and I’m not that 14-year-old boy anymore,” said the young man, speaking on the condition of anonymity. He did, however, promise to seek some counseling so that the trauma ends with him and doesn’t morph into a generational trauma as years go by.
Panel # 3: Identifying Solutions
Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight, MHS, LPC Founder and National Executive Director of Mothers in Charge, Inc., mother to a son murdered in a gun violence incident over a parking spot, has turned her grief into action through providing support to other grieving families, intervention, education, and prevention. Height said, “I remember when MADD got started because a mother lost her child due to a drunk driver, and I was sure that the same concept applied to me losing my child as a result of gun violence.”
Lashira Council, CAADC, LPC, Program Director Chester Community Coalition lost her eldest brother to gun violence and is committed to working to combat the gun violence epidemic in the City of Chester. Her leadership in the community has inspired many to get involved.
Dr. Hakim Stoval, Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, is the first person selected for this fellowship supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support research, training, and development of researchers examining important issues pertinent to equity and policies intended to curb gun violence.
Gun violence happens in seconds and is a trauma that affects the lives of its victims, families, friends, and neighbors for generations. Acknowledgment of the cause, understanding that, as a society, this affects every segment of the population, and addressing it head-on with solid, achievable solutions is the only way to rid our communities of the scourge of gun violence.
It will take the collaborative efforts of law enforcement, the community, politicians, legislators, grassroots organizations, and everyday citizens to stop the plague that has afflicted our society and made hostages of ordinary citizens.
Conversations such as those had in this forum are important and put our society on the road to solving these problems, creating a safer place for everyone.
“We were put on this earth to look after one another, not to look past one another.” Gloria Vanderbilt