Zeneta Everhart Pushes for Gun Violence Prevention Office in Buffalo

Zeneta Everhart, whose son Zaire Goodman was injured in the Tops Friendly Market attack, addresses the court during the sentencing of Payton Gendron before Judge Susan Eagan in Erie County Court, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in Buffalo, N.Y. Gendron, a white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket, was sentenced to life in prison after listening to his victims’ relatives express the pain and rage caused by his racist attack. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP, Pool)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Common Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart is pushing for the City of Buffalo to create a Gun Violence Prevention Office to combat gun violence locally.

The initiative aims to provide support to families affected by gun violence, implement evidence-based interventions, encourage community engagement and work with local law enforcement to combat illegal firearms trafficking in the city.

This initiative follows several incidents of gun violence in Buffalo in recent months and years, including the Tops mass shooting on May 14, 2022, the death of a 14-year-old girl who was among six teens shot on Jefferson Avenue last May, and the death of a three-year-old on Domedion Avenue last month.

Three separate shootings took place in the city last weekend, leaving five people injured.

In June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis, fueled by the rising number of gun-related injuries and deaths across the country. Since last September, the U.S. Department of Justice has allocated $100 million to support gun violence prevention in cities across the country. Several major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and New Orleans, have established local offices to prevent gun violence.

If the office is created, the city would work with the White House, the state, Erie County and local and national law enforcement to support families and implement gun violence prevention strategies.

The resolution calls on the mayor to establish the office before the end of the calendar year.