by Jamil Ragland
HARTFORD, CT – Gun violence survivors and advocates gathered at The Artists Collective in the city’s north end Tuesday to call attention to the harms of gun violence and also to suggest a different way forward to address the problem, focusing on healing and support.
The “Right to Heal” event was hosted by Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice (CSSJ), a nonprofit national network of 187,000 crime survivors dedicated to advocating for a justice system that prioritizes healing, prevention, and recovery. CSSJ is the flagship initiative of the Alliance for Safety and Justice.
One of the speakers at the event – Aswad Thomas – was a survivor of gun violence himself in Hartford. Thomas spoke about his own experience when he was shot twice in the back during a robbery attempt in August 2009. His injuries ended a promising basketball career, and he said that one of the most traumatic aspects of being shot was being released from the hospital back into the neighborhood where he was almost killed. That trauma, he said, impacted him and the young man who shot him.
“One of teenagers that shot me was also a victim of gun violence as well. That same doctor that saved my life, saved that teenager’s life as well,” he said.
Thomas said he wanted to help end the cycle of violence. After he graduated from the University of Connecticut with a masters in social work, he joined CSSJ. In the years since, he has become vice president for the Alliance for Safety and Justice, and the national director of CSSJ.
Hartford is the first city in CSSJ’s “Right to Heal” tour, which will include stops in Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, and other locations around the country. The tour is designed to offer a unique venue for survivors, advocates, and stakeholders to share their experiences, insights, and public safety vision. The tours are leading up to the first ever Crime Survivors Speak March on Washington later this year in September to push for a right to heal policy agenda.
One of the most traumatic aspects of being shot was being released from the hospital back into the neighborhood where he was almost killed. That trauma, he said, impacted him and the young man who shot him. ASWAD THOMAS
For Thomas and other advocates, healing is the key element of preventing gun violence. The policy proposals he and CSSJ are advocating for include trauma recovery centers for crime victims, funding for community-based organizations that provide peer-to-peer support for victims, flexible victim assistance funds to help them on their path to recovery, and other policies that prioritize serving victims over punishing perpetrators.
The Right to Heal tour kicked off in June, which is National Gun Violence Awareness Month. The United States continues to deal with staggering numbers of deaths and injuries caused by guns. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 18,854 people were killed in 2023 by guns, while 36,338 were injured by them. Those figures include both intentional and accidental gun incidents. While the number of fatalities and injuries caused by guns have decreased since 2021, the numbers remain elevated over pre-pandemic levels.
Hartford has followed the national trend and seen a decrease in gun violence in the city in recent years. According to the Council on Criminal Justice, the capital city saw 28 gun murders and 97 nonfatal shootings in 2023, down from numbers over the last three years.
Thomas said that the decrease in gun violence is a good start, but more needs to be done.