“Our country is facing an incredible gun violence crisis and Mayor Cantrell understands that. We commend her decision to create an office that will support local gun violence intervention programs. This crucial step will ensure that communities across New Orleans will receive the necessary resources needed to save lives. This new initiative is in line with the recommendations Amnesty International USA made in our In the Line of Fire report, which examines how gun violence encroaches upon human rights for people living in several cities, including New Orleans.
“In order to truly end this public health crisis, we need more leaders across the board to see it less as an individual problem and more as an issue that assaults the human rights of entire communities and cities. Gun violence is entirely preventable, and we hope other mayors will follow Mayor Cantrell’s lead and find meaningful ways to create and invest in community-led policy interventions to stop these senseless deaths.”