BUFFALO, N.Y. — Several community leaders gathered Wednesday night in Buffalo for a conversation about gun violence and how to come up with viable solutions.
Participants included Erie County District Attorney John Flynn, U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. along with representatives with Stop the Violence Coalition, Buffalo Peacemakers, and Back to Basics Ministries.
"A couple of months ago we were all protesting and saying how we feel about things, and now that has calmed down, this is what we need to do. After the storm comes through, you have to rebuild," said Murray Holman, executive director of the Stop the Violence Coalition.
"Our community is rebuilding here in Buffalo. We are the model for other cities to get involved. Law enforcement and community-based groups -- stop fighting with each other and come up with solutions. That's what we're doing here in Buffalo."
U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. stressed the importance of community involvement in this effort to combat gun violence.
“We can’t solve the problem by ourselves,” he said.
"What we learned when we break down some of those silos is that we really have a lot more in common than you might think and I think to me that's a message of hope because if we recognize common problems, we're also gonna find common solutions," Kennedy added.
He told the group they’re trying to address two questions. First, how can the relationship between the community and law enforcement be improved? Also, how can the community and law enforcement work together to reduce violent crime?
One of the speakers from the crowd emotionally stressed the importance of reaching young people and getting the "stop the violence" message into households.
“Put the guns down. The violence has got to stop," she said.
Two participants emphasized the need for more diversity in law enforcement.
Overall, Kennedy said he believes a primary takeaway of the event was that we all want relatively the same things when it comes to safe communities and it will take a collaborative effort to make a difference.