BALTIMORE — June is National Gun Violence Prevention Month, and it’s around the corner. Johns Hopkins Hospital held a pep rally at the Turner Auditorium for gun violence awareness. It was originally planned to be a community walk, but the rainy weather had other plans.
All in attendance wore bright orange shirts with Hopkins in bold white lettering on the front. The back of the shirts read, “end gun violence, #wearorange.” Orange is the color synonymous with gun violence prevention.
While on the mic, Dr. Redonda Miller, President of Johns Hopkins Hospital, championed the Hopkins violence interrupters team, aka “Break the Cycle.” This group of heroes attacks gun violence from a holistic angle.
“The good work that you guys have done in preventing, taking people at their most vulnerable time, and when they come to our hospital and they are suffering from a gunshot wound or some other violence, and you guys there, bringing your lived experience to the bedside, providing them with the counseling that listening ear, connecting them to resources…maybe it’s transportation. Maybe it’s housing or it’s something else they need,” says President Miller.
“And I just learned a statistic that we have in the lives we’ve touched that you guys have had zero re-entry. That is impressive. Thank you. It’s one thing to recognize our government colleges. It’s one thing to recognize folks from the hospital, but none of this would be possible without engagement and involvement from the community. You all in the community—our community partners—now how best we can attack this crime.”
