John,
We hope our excitement will be contagious! California passed historic legislation — a bill that permanently funds community-centered work on the frontlines of violence.
When we don't invest in communities — with good schools, quality housing, access to health care, among many resources — violence flourishes. And over-policing and mass incarceration drive even more violence. We've seen time and again that when organizations rooted in our communities are able to implement strategies informed and led by those closest to the problem, safety begins to take shape.
California's legislation is a small, no-nonsense excise tax on the manufacturers of guns and ammunition that will direct $75 million each year into grants for communities ravaged by violence. The money will fund lifesaving work to prevent and interrupt violence.
We will all be safer.
Since 2020, a California-based coalition of frontline organizations and policy advocates have worked together to pressure legislators in meetings, at rallies, and through their inbox. It's now 2023, which you probably know means we lost a few times before we won — but each year we showed up a little bit stronger and better organized!
This legislation is only one piece of the puzzle to build a state and a world where violence is rare and all of our communities have the opportunity to thrive, but it's a big step in holding manufacturers accountable for the devastating destruction they profit from.
Community-centered strategies that reduce violence are here to stay — because they save lives. Some state legislatures are funding or expanding them. Others will resist and choose to pour more money into the tactics that gave us mass incarceration.
Your voice will make a difference. Let's fight together.
