Rapper Quavo and Vice President Kamala Harris talk gun violence prevention in ATL.
Quavo, one of Atlanta's most visible relatives of a gun violence victim, spoke met with Vice President Kamala Harris before an audience of other victims and survivors. Harris visited Atlanta twice in the last week.
Atlanta rapper Quavo hosted Vice President Kamala Harris this week to discuss gun violence. And with the 2024 presidential race in full swing, some Atlantans who have been impacted by gun violence are asking what the Biden administration can do to keep guns off the streets and out of the hands of young people.
“Everyday gun violence is just as serious as mass shootings,” Harris said from the stage at the Carter Center.
But the barriers to significant policy change remain for Black families who have been impacted by gun violence in Atlanta. Gun control is popular among Black voters, but meaningful reform is out of reach in Georgia, where Republicans control both houses of the state legislature and the governor’s mansion.
Harris oversees the White House’s first Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which was established last year to work with state and local governments to address the problem. She told the audience of gun violence victims and advocates that she supports an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and red flag laws to address this issue.
To amplify their work, Harris’ gun violence prevention office partnered with Quavo’s Rocket Foundation that he founded after his nephew and fellow Atlanta rapper Takeoff was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley in November 2022.
His foundation has focused its attention on community violence intervention organizations, because of their track record of success. At the summit, ten CVI organizations were awarded $20,000 grants, half from the Rocket Foundation and half from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
One of the grant recipients, Mothers Against Gang Violence (MAGV), was founded by Tekesia Shields, who said she got involved in anti-violence work after she found out her son was one of the people perpetuating violence in the community.
Shields started the organization in 2016; in 2017, her son was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“As a parent, I chose to self-reflect,” she said. “Now I teach parents how to see the signs and recognize the changes in behavior that happen when your kid starts getting involved in gang activity.”
She hopes that the Biden-Harris administration will provide sustainable funding to anti-gun violence groups like hers.
Kalycia Archer, a MAGV member, said she also initially got involved after her son described to her the violence he witnessed in the streets. Archer wants more gun control legislation but also said money and support to smaller organizations, specifically ones that work with kids, could make a big difference.
“We need more funding for there to be mentors and advocates in the community,” she said. “Specifically men for the young boys because there’s a lot of families without fathers.”
Kiska Lyons said it was her experience in law enforcement that initially got her interested in this work.
Lyons worked for the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in the Clayton County Jail for six years. In that time, she saw some of the same people coming in and out of jail for progressively worse crimes.
“Most of the time, people are just in jail because they don’t have money and they don’t have access to resources,” Lyons said.
She hopes to see a shift in the way anti-violence organizations are funded, so that the money isn’t always directly tied to outcomes.
“It creates a false sense of progression,” she said. “Are you really solving problems or are you just trying to keep the lights on?”
Lyons also thinks more money should be spent on positive reinforcement and supporting people who are doing the right thing rather than focusing on punishing those doing the wrong thing.
Elisheva Ray first got involved with anti-violence work after Cameron Jackson, her friend’s 15-year-old son, was killed outside Atlantic Station in 2022. Since then, she has partnered with the Forever Cameron Movement to teach yoga and dance classes to “angel moms” who have lost a child to gun violence.
Ray believes that small, community organizations need more support because they can connect with people at risk for gun violence and help intervene.
“There’s only so much stats can capture. If you’re just looking at the numbers, you’re not getting the person and their real story,” she said.
