I’m a small-town mayor, and I want guns out of the streets.
Fellow Advocate,
I’m Dwan Walker, small-town mayor, and gun violence survivor. I am truly honored to work with CeaseFirePA, both professionally and personally, because I have a major stake in our movement to end gun violence in Pennsylvania.
My sister Diedré was my biggest cheerleader. She told me I “had to” run for mayor – I rolled my eyes and laughed at her, as siblings often do. But, just a few weeks later, she was killed by her ex-boyfriend, with a stolen gun.
I miss her every day, but holidays are especially tough. If I could make one holiday wish this year, it would be to get illegal guns off of our streets, so no family would have to bear the burden that mine has.
I ran for mayor – and won my seat – over a decade ago in Diedré’s honor. But now, I see gun violence through a different lens. As a public servant, I take a data-informed approach, and am always trying to analyze this crisis and find a comprehensive solution.
Thanks to your advocacy alongside CeaseFirePA, we’ve seen some real progress. Critical investments in community violence intervention have led to significant decreases in gun violence across our great Commonwealth. But here in Aliquippa, my police officers are still outgunned and outmanned by people who have no business handling firearms.