City of Piedmont
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: May 16, 2022
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Sara Lillevand, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Collaborative Gun Safety Efforts Between Brady United Against Gun Violence, Piedmont Unified School District and Piedmont Police Department
RECOMMENDATION
This report is submitted for information purposes only.
BACKGROUND
On March 23, 2022, local community members, Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Randall Booker, and Chief of Police Jeremy Bowers met to discuss an organization known as Brady United Against Gun Violence (Brady). The group discussed potential community education and outreach efforts to raise awareness and provide the public with strategies to enhance gun safety to reduce the likelihood of gun violence in Piedmont.
On April 27, 2022, Superintendent Booker introduced Brady members Eric Havian, Kira Dahlgren, and Steven Roland and provided a brief overview of the organization. Mr. Eric Havian introduced Brady and several of the organization’s strategies to increase communication and actions to reduce the likelihood of gun violence. The Board of Education was receptive to the general concepts which were presented. Chief Bowers communicated his support in the work to raise awareness about gun safety and committed to partner with PUSD.
Brady United Against Gun Violence
Brady United Against Gun Violence, a non-profit national program, works to make gun violence prevention a non-partisan issue by taking action, not sides. By leading with facts and designing evidence-based programs that address root causes of America’s gun violence epidemic, Brady unites Americans on both sides of the aisle in the fight against gun violence.
Brady’s mission is to reduce rates of gun violence in the United States 25% by 2025 using a three-part strategy of litigation, legislation, and education. This strategic breadth is essential because gun violence take many forms. Urban homicide, suicide, and unintentional shootings have different root causes that, together, contribute to the high number of those who are shot and killed every day. Brady programs are designed to specifically address each aspect of gun violence at its source. A thought leader in the movement, Brady partners its expertise in gun violence with national experts in other fields, like education, suicidology, advertising, and social work to ensure their work is cutting edge and impactful.
Representatives from Brady have proposed the following specific actions to raise awareness about gun safety:
• Send a one-page letter to families on gun safety and how to help if someone is in crisis, e.g., by seeking a Gun Violence Restraining Order.
• Add a paragraph on gun safety to existing PUSD newsletters (e.g., Weekly Bulletin, Piedmont Ahead).
• Insert gun safety information (1page) into a back-to-school family resource guide. • Consider adopting the Brady “Asking Saves Kids” program:
o Urges parents and caregivers to ask if guns are safely stored in the homes where their children play.
• Suggest that each Parent Club schedule a brief gun safety session, in person or via Zoom, with Q&A.
• Offer training about Gun Violence Restraining Orders in coordination with the Piedmont Police Department.
While many of the suggested actions fall under the purview of the Piedmont Unified School District for implementation, the Piedmont Police Department is committed to partnering with Brady and the District in the overall goal of keeping our community safe.
By: Jeremy Bowers, Chief of Police
Agenda Report Page 2