Community leaders share preventing gun violence is a collaborative effort
Saturday’s shooting on Jefferson Street injured nine and killed one.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - After Saturday’s shooting on Jefferson Street, community leaders have been sharing how preventing gun violence is a collaborative effort.
Tonia Keys has attended Jefferson Street Baptist Church her entire life.
“I’ve seen the neighborhood change the way our young people handle disputes differently than when I was growing up,” Keys said.
Keys says something has to change.
“Now everyone seems to have a gun and they want to shoot it out,” Keys said. “So you can be shooting at one thing and something else that’s just senseless to me.”
Keys said it’s going to take a collaborative effort to prevent another incident like Saturday’s shooting that injured nine and killed one.
“We need to come together as a community,” Keys said.
The pastor of her church, bishop Aaron Marble shared his role in fighting what he calls a gun violence crisis.
“The church has a twofold responsibility,” Marble said. “We’re the prophetic voice so when we see issues arise, we speak that truth to power so we speak to our elected officials.”
Marble also said they urge their church members to practice gun safety by passing out gun locks.
“But we also are a caring and loving community,” Marble said. “We’re called to love one another in the wake of tragedies.”
Although Saturday’s shooting happened down the street from Tennessee State University WSMV 4 asked the university if they were having any conversations about how to prevent something like this from happening again.
TSU’s Police Chief Greg Robinson said they meet with Metro Nashville Police Department’s north precinct weekly and meet with MNPD and other officials monthly.
“Always speaking about proactive and being preventive, doing all we can,” Robinson said. “When I say we, I mean from the law enforcement arena, doing all we can to be as proactive as possible, building those relationships with the external stakeholders in the community. So when they hear something because of the relationships, they will speak or get some information to an officer so they can prevent something before it occurs.”
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