Gaining Perspective on Gun Violence

By Cathy DeForest, Vision Quilt Founder

As Vision Quilt works with communities to find solutions to gun violence, we do our best to stay informed. What’s at the core of the problem? Where is the need the greatest? How can we make a difference? What types of interventions are most likely to bring change? To gain perspective we scour research and news articles on a regular basis.
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Sadly, we find the stories about specific acts of gun violence every day. But, the ones we want to share are the pieces that help us understand why and help us focus on which efforts to prevent gun violence are working.

Vision Quilt exhibit in Chicago.

Consider this from a recent article in The Guardian:  “Half of America's gun homicides in 2015 were clustered in just 127 cities and towns, according to a new geographic analysis by the Guardian… The problem they face is devastating. Though these neighborhood areas contain just 1.5% of the country’s population, they saw 26% of America’s total gun homicides.”

The Guardian geographic analysis of gun violence can help us focus our energies in communities most in need. Read the entire article here.

A short, but powerful video posted with a New York Times article about gun violence in Chicago is well worth viewing. It looks at the gun violence epidemic through one father’s determination to simply get his children to school safely. The accompanying article looks at a program that is working! Safe Passage monitors are saving lives daily. It’s inspiring.

Vision Quilt spent several weeks working with partners in Chicago this past year, and there is no question of the need to find solutions. Because of this extreme need, Vision Quilt is making Chicago youth a primary focus in 2017. Go to this link on our website to see some of the work we have begun.
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Finally, we’d like to share research that examines where people are most likely to agree about how to prevent gun violence. Vision Quilt is built on the belief that finding common ground through inclusive dialogue will lead to solutions.

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