June 3, 2025
City Council
DATE: June 3, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Councilmember Jamelia Brown
Subject:
Proclamation Recognizing June 2025 as Gun Violence
Awareness Month and Honoring Local Organizations and
Victims Affected by Gun Violence in Richmond
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact for receiving this item.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
June 4, 2024
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month—a time to honor
lives lost, support those impacted, and recommit to life- saving solutions. While Richmond has made historic
strides in reducing homicides, each loss is still deeply felt. This item recognizes the month, honors local
organizations leading prevention and healing efforts, and presents proclamations to the families of victims whose lives were tragically cut short.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
PROCLAMATION recognizing June 2025 as Gun
Violence Awareness Month in the City of Richmond, and
issue individual proclamations to:
Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS)
Faith in Action East Bay
Keyz2theFuture
Moms Demand Action – Contra Costa Chapter
Silence the Violence
RYSE Center
Gone But Never Forgotten social media platform
AGENDA
REPORT
June 3, 2025
The families of Maciyah Brown and Joseph
Alexander II
Councilmember Jamelia Brown (510-412-2050).
DISCUSSION:
Over the past decade, Richmond has witnessed a steady decline in gun violence. The City recently reached a record low homicide rate, a result of long-standing investment in street outreach, community trauma response, youth development, and interagency collaboration.
Despite these gains, tragedies continue. In June 2024, Maciyah Brown, a radiant, talented, and expecting mother, was gunned down, taking both her and her unborn child’s life. In April 2018, Joseph Alexander II, a hardworking young father, was also taken by gun violence. Neither Maciyah nor Joseph will have the chance to watch their children grow—a future full of love, joy, and milestones stolen by senseless violence.
These are not isolated tragedies. While we honor their memories, we also acknowledge that their losses are part of a much larger pain—one shared by many Richmond families who continue to endure the daily grief of lives taken too soon.
Digital platforms such as Gone But Never Forgotten continue to play a vital role in remembrance, using social media to tell the stories of victims and keep the urgency of prevention alive.
Richmond has shown that community-based strategies work. Organizations like Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS), Faith in Action East Bay, Keyz2theFuture, Moms Demand Action, Silence the Violence, Richmond Police Department, and RYSE Center have led vital efforts in gun violence intervention, prevention, trauma recovery, youth programming, and policy advocacy.
As we observe Gun Violence Awareness Month, the City recommits to its long-term goal of reaching zero homicides—because even one life lost is too many, and when one family suffers, our Richmond suffers.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Proclamation for Gun Violence Awareness Month- June 2025