Oakland, CA – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) held a roundtable discussion with community leaders and local elected officials to address the recent rise in gun violence in Oakland, hear from attendees, provide legislative updates, and discuss federal support for local public safety initiatives.

“I am pleased that Senator Alex Padilla and East Bay community leaders joined me in a roundtable discussion today about the alarming rate of gun violence, crime and public safety concerns in Oakland,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Words cannot express my sorrow and condolences to the loved ones we have lost due to gun violence. Today, we discussed how systemic racism plays out in our communities. The majority of victims of gun violence are unfortunately Black and brown people. Our discussions today reaffirmed our commitment to fight for safe communities, support legislation to get guns off of the streets and deal with the root causes of crime. Our young people deserve investments in education, jobs, housing, mental health, social and racial justice efforts and more to ensure the quality of life they deserve. Actions speak louder than words. I thank all of the participants for their contributions to the discussion and look forward to lending federal support for many of the strategies proposed today.”

“We’ve seen devastating acts of gun violence play out across the country, and we can no longer let these events pass by without fighting for meaningful change,” said Senator Padilla. “Earlier this year, Congress passed the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly thirty years, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and we started to break the chokehold the gun lobby has held on Congress for decades. But we must continue building on this momentum. From expanding background checks to banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, there’s more we must do to get weapons of war off our streets and save lives.”

“There has been so much violence and pain recently in Oakland, but they say those who are closest to the pain are closest to the solution,” said Anne Marks, Executive Director of Youth ALIVE!. “With Congresswoman Lee’s leadership, we are closer than ever to real, lasting solutions through investment in community-led, cost effective strategies like ours at Youth ALIVE!. We can save lives using a public health approach to violence.”

In June, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The first major gun violence prevention legislation passed in nearly three decades, the law includes support for state crisis intervention orders; protections for victims of domestic violence; enhanced background checks for buyers under 21; anti-violence community initiatives; child and family mental health services; and stronger enforcement of gun trafficking and straw purchases.

Congresswoman Lee is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She serves as Co-Chair of the Steering & Policy Committee, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chair Emeritus of the Progressive Caucus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Health Task Force, and Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus. She also serves as Chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. As a member of the House Democratic Leadership, she is the highest-ranking Black woman in the U.S. Congress.

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