It's been almost six months since shootings took place just hours apart in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Tex., that together left 31 people dead and dozens wounded. The University of Dayton is marking Tuesday, Feb. 4, with a forum on gun violence.
UD Human Rights Center Executive Director Shelley Inglis says one session will be geared to the university community and discuss how gun violence is a human rights issue.
A second will look at what the city, state and local groups are doing.
"Community groups will form a roundtable to highlight the issues, the work that they're doing, and the issues with gun violence from their various perspectives, either the impact on persons of color or the disproportionate impact on women," Inglis says.
Panelists for the second session include: Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley; State Sen. Peggy Lehner; former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft; Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl; Artemis Center Executive Director Jane Keiffer; YWCA Dayton Advocacy Manager Sarah Wolf-Knight; Dayton Children's Hospital pediatrician Nora Vish; and former Ohio senator and President of the Ohio Conference of Units of the NAACP Tom Roberts.
There will also be a presentation on how the Greater Dayton Safety Planning Commission is looking at gun violence from a public health perspective.
There will be an advocacy fair between the two sessions so groups working to combat gun violence can network.
"Mass shootings get a tremendous amount of attention but this event looks at all of the different ways in which gun violence impacts our lives and impacts the lives of specific communities," Inglis says.
The event will conclude with a vigil remembering the Oregon District shooting victims.
Forum Information
Theforum runs from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 4.
Session One: 2-3:30 p.m.
Session Two: 4:30-6 p.m.
Location: 1401 S. Main St.
