Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The establishment of an Office of Gun Violence Prevention at Buffalo City Hall was a top priority of Masten District Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart shortly after she took office this past January.
This new office will see several different city agencies, along with a partnership with BestSelf Behavioral Services, provide resources needed for those in the community who may need assistance if they or someone they know has become a victim of gun violence.
The office will be created through an executive order that Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown will submit to the Buffalo Common Council just before he formally leaves office on Tuesday. Shortly after, Council President, and soon-to-be Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon will then reauthorize the executive order to continue the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Related
"It's bittersweet. It is something that is necessary, but it holds some heaviness to it. But I am excited," said Councilwoman Everhart following Monday's announcement in East Buffalo outside the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue. "I'm excited to know that our city is going to be at the table on this. We have to be at the table on this. The White House's Office of Gun Violence Prevention was born out of what happened in Buffalo, because there was no emergency response to it. This office is going to be created to be a FEMA response to gun violence. The City of Buffalo has to be at the table. We have to be able to deploy resources to people who are traumatized by gun violence. It can't just be a shooting happens and then everyone's gone. We have to talk to these families and make sure that they have what they need."
Everhart says the city's Office of Gun Violence Prevention will also be working in tandem with the White House's Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and also the state-run office to make sure resources are being deployed for any residents that need them following tragedy.
"All these cities across the state are at the table. We have to be at the table, and we have to talk to each other," Everhart said. "Those resources, and having this office means that the White House is going to be looking at Buffalo and saying, 'Hey, look, we have this program, or we have this grant, whatever it is. Let's get that to Buffalo. Let's make sure they have that information.' The governor, just last week, announced more resources for gun violence prevention. That means that now Buffalo will benefit from those resources. That's the importance, it's just having the office established so they know we're here. And we're hurting here. They know that they have the resources, and they can get them down here to Buffalo."
So how will the Office of Gun Violence Prevention work in the City of Buffalo?
"There will be mental health services. When a shooting happened or someone is affected by gun violence, they will be able to call this office and say, 'Hey, look, I'm having a tough day. Is there somebody I can talk to?' Or sometimes when gun violence occurs, people need to move. They can't just stay in the same location. They can call and say, 'What resources are available? How can I get assistance in getting out of my neighborhood? Because I'm scared of what happened over here.' But also, it's the education piece. If a youth is involved in gun violence, we want to get to that youth. Whether they are the perpetrator or the victim, we have to have those conversations. That's what it's about," Everhart explained.
And while the Buffalo Police Department has worked to prevent gun violence with the state and its Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, Everhart says this office in City Hall will work a bit differently than the police department's initiative.
"The police department focuses on the crime. We're going to be focused on the people. We have to get to the people," she said. "The criminal aspect of gun violence is going to happen, but we have to make sure that we're talking to the people and getting to them. Trauma builds on top of itself, and it lasts for generations. We have to stop that."
Everhart says it is her son, Zaire Goodman, who is the catalyst for her push to establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention in Buffalo. Goodman was one of the three people injured in the mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue back on May 14, 2022.
"My son being shot and injured on 5/14 is the reason we're standing here. He is literally the catalyst for all of this happening, and he is excited about it. And he's looking forward to seeing it happen," Everhart said. "After 5/14, we were one of those families who didn't have support after he was shot and injured. Who do we call? Who does Zaire go talk to? What are we supposed to do now not just with his injuries, but with his mental health? Where are those resources?"
Everhart adds her son is doing "wonderful", and has even returned back to work at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue.