COLUMBIA, S.C. — Monday evening, parents and other concerned citizens gathered at Lorick Park in Columbia for a discussion over gun safety, with the hope of further reducing the amount of gun-related violence in the area.
The city’s Director of Violent Crime Prevention, Dr. Trevon Fordham, was also there to support the city’s partner organization.
“So today’s another great opportunity for the city of Columbia to partner with Be Strong Families," Fordham said. "Be Strong Families is an organization where they specialize in working with adults to talk about firearm safety, gun safety, and gun violence reduction through what they call café sessions. Today, we’re hosting our first parent café, so we just want to be able to provide a safe space for the adults to come together and talk about things like firearms safety in homes but also how to have some of those tough conversations that sometimes aren’t being had in our households.”
The café-style sessions are less about formal speakers and more about discussions among all attendees.
Those in attendance were treated to a catered meal before being invited to share their experiences with the room.
Tecoria Jones with Be Strong Families explained how the sessions work.
“We are here to create a space for community members to come and talk,” Jones said. "Guns are a part of our world. They have big effects. Guns can make people feel very scared. Guns can make people feel very strong and empowered. It doesn’t take long for something to go wrong."
Organizers say they judge the success of events like these not by the number of people who show up but by the number of connections made.
“You look at someone, and you can tell they’ve heard something that’s going to (stick with) them. Something that they’re going to take from this experience and walk out with,” Jones said. "And it’s going to change the way they live their life, change the way they communicate with others, change the way they think about situations and for parents, hopefully, change the way they approach topics with their children."
According to the latest numbers from the Columbia Police Department, there have been a total of 37 people hit with gunfire in the city so far this year.
That’s down 46% from this time last year.
Dr. Fordham says those numbers are part of a successful strategy for crime reduction.
“Our violent crime is down overall in the city this year as opposed to last year, so the more partnerships we build as a city with community organizations that are doing this work, that's what we deem as success. Because we can educate, we can put knowledge in front of people. But also, we can have folks that are residents in the community go out to their neighbor, to their loved ones, go back home and share that message,” Fordham said.
If you missed Monday evening's session, you can still share your experiences and ideas at another session on Thursday, Aug. 15, at Lorick Park in North Columbia. That meeting starts at 6 p.m.