READI Chicago Senior Director Eddie Bocanegra testified on a panel in front of a House of Representatives subcommittee as part of the hearing on Community Responses to Gun Violence in our Cities. Through his testimony, he gave a firsthand, on-the-ground perspective of ongoing community violence and the wide ripple effects of everyday violence.
During the testimony, he emphasized the complicated and wide-ranging factors that contribute to gun violence in Chicago and similar cities, focusing on limited access in impoverished communities to everything from employment to safe housing to mental health services. While mass shootings in recent months have received an array of media coverage, it was important to draw attention to the people and families in our communities who are impacted by gun violence every single day, as well as to Chicago’s sustained collaborative effort since 2016 to combat violence.
“After spending much of my time in prison contemplating how my future would have meaning, my goal is clear—to use my experiences as a former gang member and inmate, as well as my formal education, to save lives, and to help others with backgrounds like mine find and achieve their own dreams for a safer and better future,” Eddie said.
Rep. William Lacy Clay of Missouri and Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois comprised the first panel of the hearing, while Eddie spoke on the second panel and was joined by Reggie Moore of the City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention, Amber Goodwin of the Community Justice Action Fund & Community Justice Reform Coalition, and Maj Toure of Black Guns Matter.
