Thread by @KrisB_Brown

The shooting outside the Nationals baseball game is chilling. We should never have to watch thousands of people scramble for safety.

But what's even more chilling is how gun violence harms the residents of Washington, D.C., every day.

🧵Thread
bradyunited.org/press-releases…

Less than 24 before the shooting by Nationals Park, 6-year-old Nyiah Courtney was killed and 5 others were injured in a mass shooting in SE DC. #EndGunViolence wjla.com/news/local/fam…

Nyiah’s mother tried to protect her from the gunfire, and was also shot.

https://twitter.com/NickMinock/status/1416835292347224068

Gun violence is a worsening epidemic in DC — just as it is in cities across the country. In fact, D.C. hit a record number of homicides and shootings last year:

📈Homicides rose 19% over 2019, the highest since 2004
📈Shootings increased 33%

#EndGunViolence via @bradybuzz

Gun violence disproportionately affects D.C.’s Black residents, just as gun violence does nationally.

Last year, 189 of the 198 homicide victims were Black. According to @MayorBowser, 41% of gunshot-related crimes occur in just 2% of city blocks. #EndGunViolence @bradybuzz

Q: What is Congress doing to end this deadly crisis in D.C.?

A: Not enough.

#EndGunViolence

https://twitter.com/KrisB_Brown/status/1416457224575201288

The city is hamstrung.

While @MayorBowser & the D.C. govt have prioritized violence prevention — including community investment — D.C.’s laws and budget are subject to congressional review & veto.

Without #DCStatehood, the city suffers. #EndGunViolence bradyunited.org/press-releases…

While D.C.'s political circumstances are unique, cities across the country are reeling from gun violence.

2020 was one of the worst years for gun violence on record in America. That surge hasn’t slowed down in 2021.

Look at this past weekend in Chicago — abc7chicago.com/chicago-shooti…

While high-profile shootings like the one at Nationals Park most often make the news, we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that our nation's gun violence epidemic disproportionately afflicts Black Americans, including children. #EndGunViolence

https://twitter.com/GKMC18/status/1417131804373524481

Because of ongoing racism and systemic inequities, Black Americans are 10x more likely than white Americans to die from gun violence. Black children and teens are 14x more likely to die from gun homicide than their white peers. @bradybuzz bradyunited.org/issue/gun-viol…

Every day in America, 100 people are shot & killed. Our weak gun laws are bolstering this epidemic.

We know the solutions.

We need to pass universal background checks.

We need to pass the Break the Cycle of Violence Act & invest in our communities.

https://twitter.com/amnestyusa/status/1416835914798620685

Again, what are we waiting for?

We already know that gun violence surges in the summer months. Right now, lives are on the line.

Americans are demanding change. Our leaders must act. #EndGunViolence #EnoughIsEnough