The City of New York will recognize The National Day of Remembrance for Gun-Related Homicide Victims on Friday, Dec. 30 at 3 pm at the Barclays Center at 620 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, the actual borough that has had the most murders in it for almost ten years.
According to a press release, Mayor Eric Adams and New York City’s Czar of Gun Violence Prevention, Andre “AT” Mitchell will be hosting the city’s inaugural observance, standing in solidarity with other municipalities across the United States, particularly those who have lost an excessive amount of citizens to gun violence.
Other government officials, community members, faith-based leaderships, violence interrupters, and other anti-violence organizations will also host.
Some of the cities are Mt. Vernon, NY; Chicago, IL; Newark, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; Atlanta, GA; Washington, D.C.; Jacksonville, FL; Durham & Charlotte N.C.; and Jackson, MS, but more are sure to step up.
Special guest speakers will be Audrey Jackson (Mother of Pop Smoke) and Mysonne Da General (Rap Artist, Civil Rights Activist, and Co-founder of Until Freedom), and they will speak on behalf of the “families, loved ones, and friends of the 240 victims identified in 2022 who lost their lives to the scourge of gun violence, will be there to stand together in healing and hope.”
A.T. Mitchell said, “As we come to the end of the year, we will have a conversation about gun violence numbers for 2022, as we should.”
Adding that those who were lost are not just numbers, “they were fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, nieces, nephews, friends, and loved ones. We need to remember them publicly, by name as we close out this year and begin a new one with a collective citywide New Year’s Resolution to further intensify the work to reduce and prevent the disease of gun violence in 2023.”
Ironically, according to CBS News, the nation’s deadliest city, St. Louis is not one of the cities participating. Baltimore, a city with a murder rate of 58.27 per 100,000, makes the list at #2. D.C. enters into the list of top 20 murderous cities at #13 and Philly comes in at #16.
Atlanta misses the list, coming in at #22 and having a murder rate of 19.53 per 100,000. Not all of the violence is fueled by Black-on-Black crime. Last year, a gunman shot up a spa, killing eight people (majority Asian). Chicago, which has been in the headlines because of its connection to the violent drill movement, ranks on this national list as #28, with Newark right behind it at #30.
Jacksonville arrives on the list at #45.
Two North Carolina metropolitans rounded up the list on Durham hits the compilation at #52 and Charlotte at #59.
New York City does not make the list.
The observance will start with a release of the doves ceremony. The reading of gun-related homicide victims’ names (in groups of ten) will follow.
The ceremony will conclude with a release of a single white balloon to represent the recognition of life and the commitment to Peace in the New Year.