KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. — Kalamazoo's Bronson Park was covered in orange shirts Monday night to continue the conversation of gun violence and it's impacts on community members.
"You know, it's not really surprising. "Kalamazoo for a small at as small as it is has had an overwhelming unprecedented amount of shootings and murders. "
According to Kalamazoo's Crime Mapping data, The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety has responded to five homicides since Jan. 1.
For Sue Rosko and Susan Stewart of the League of Women Voters of Calhoun County, they showed up in support of the cause and the recent gun reform legislation passed by the Michigan Legislature.
"We don't think that the answer is more people having more guns, we think that there's other ways that we can approach this like gun safety, like identifying people at risk of committing violence with guns," said Stewart. "We think that there are things that children can do to be aware of gun safety"
Hooker, who lost her nephew to gun violence in 2020, brought her story and experience for everyone in to learn from.
"We want to make sure that not only are we supporting people who have lost loved ones, but everybody that's in the shooting doesn't die," said Hooker. "And so we want to make sure that we're providing those trauma informed services to the people that are left behind to recover from the loss of a loved one."
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