“It has been a little over two years since I lost my son, Jalen Hall, to gun violence, at the age of 23. This incident occurred on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017,” Deva Hall, said.
After the incident, Deva Hall mentioned that things hadn’t been the same since her son Jalen was shot and killed. This changed not only her life, but the lives of Jalen’s family and friends. But she puts her faith in Jesus to help her get through each day, while still taking care of her daughter; her elderly parents and balancing a job.
“It has definitely been a roller coaster ride of emotions. I feel sadness, loneliness, fear, anxiety, brokenness and anger. I wake up every day that will physically not include my son. This causes me a perpetual yearning to see him again on this side of heaven.”
Hall mentioned she got involved in an organization in Washington D.C and spoke with representatives in the Capitol. From her experience she knows that there are a lot of factors contributing to gun violence but we can start with fighting for gun law restrictions, she said.
“When you lose a loved one to gun violence, anger is definitely an emotion that can consume you,” Hall said. “You feel that you have been robbed and that it just isn’t fair. I still find myself apologizing to Jalen because even though I know it is not my fault, I also know he did not deserve to die such a senseless death. His case remains unsolved, which fuels the anger and anxiety. But I will say that it would help if we could get some justice for Jalen,” Hall said.
But Hall isn’t the only one to experience gun violence and lose a loved one.
One organization, Moms Demand Action, is about activists fighting for a change in our system and to reduce the death toll from gun violence. Their main goal is to work hard to pass new laws to ensure the safety of families in America.
“I believe Moms Demand Action has been an essential part in reducing gun violence,” Diana Trasatti, a Cabrini alumna, said. “They work on a state by state basis and fight against dangerous bills while advocating for life-saving legislation. In New Jersey, our volunteers testified in front of the state senate in support of the passage of Red Flag laws. The bill was passed and it allows police to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who have proven to be dangerous to themselves or others.”
Trasatti added that the founder of this movement, Shannon Watts, was frustrated with the ongoing gun violence spiking. The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was the last straw. She found a group on Facebook called Moms Against Drunk Driving, which gave her the inspiration to create Moms Demand Action. This movement now currently has six million active users and has a chapter in every state.
Once Watts created this movement, Trasatti knew she had to get involved. Trasatti said that witnessing news articles about mass shooting and seeing little progress to prevent these incidents from happening was frustrating.
Another response to gun violence that Trasatti added was that Moms Demand is currently having a bill passed in New Jersey City. Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver sympathized with their plea and helped to get bills into law that require a partnership with victim counseling services and trauma services so that certain victims of violence can be referred to violence intervention programs.
