Experts share what data doesn’t say about gun violence and what’s needed to intervene

Violence intervention expert Jacquel Clemons Moore (right), CDC’s Dr. Keisha Lindsay Nurse (middle) and Rohit Malhotra, the executive director of the Center for Civic Innovation, (far left) discuss violence intervention and prevention on Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look.” (LaShawn Hudson/WABE)

Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence calculates how Black and Brown communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by gun violence. Take the financial burden, for example. Between 2019 and 2020, fatal firearm deaths cost the United States $227 billion. And even though the Black community is 15% of the population, it took on 60% of the expense.

However, according to Dr. Keisha Lindsay Nurse, there are some personal reactions to violence that data doesn’t calculate.

Nurse, an epidemic intelligence service officer with the CDC, was a guest on Wednesday’s special edition of “Closer Look with Rose Scott.” The program focused on violence intervention and prevention. Nurse explained why gun violence is a public health threat and the intergenerational trauma it can have on families. She also shared the story of her cousin, Malik Barry-Buchanan, who was shot and killed at the age of 23, and the impact it had on his loved ones.

Rohit Malhotra, the executive director of the Center for Civic Innovation, and Jacquel Clemons Moore, a violence intervention expert and CCI board member, also joined the program. They discussed Atlanta’s current violence intervention ecosystem and new funding from the Coalition to Advance Public Safety for violence intervention programs in Atlanta.