Cost of gunfire: North Minneapolis community offering hope, healing for those impacted by gun violence
MINNEAPOLIS -- Gunfire and the trauma that comes with it is very real. So what is the cost to the person, family and community?
Sanctuary Covenant Church sits in north Minneapolis, surrounded by sites where gunfire has erupted.
"The cost of gun violence it is incredible. It is hidden," Pastor Edrin Williams said.
Williams' church is across the street from the Winner Gas Station, where 22-year-old Xaveon Brown was shot for the 11th time. That bullet at the end of 2020 put him in a wheelchair.
"I'm surprised I'm still here, to be truthfully honest," Brown said. "I just remember waking up. I remember my mom coming in the room telling me, 'It's going to be alright, but you can't walk no more baby.'"
MORE: Cost of gunfire -- A personal look at the emotional and physical impact of gun violence
The community calls the spot at Broadway and Lyndale in north Minneapolis "Murder station."
"I see regularly young men up and down the street here. Many of them with the colostomy bag, or young guys who should be out running around playing sports pushing one of their friends in a wheelchair, and you just wonder about how their quality of life is impacted forever. That kind of cost," Williams said.
Williams incorporates the reality of living in the city into his Sunday sermons, while trying to cast a light on a hopeful future. And says the church shows up for families in the wake of gun violence.
"We're checking in on moms who've lost sons. We're providing diapers to adults who can't go to the bathroom on their own anymore. We're financially supporting families who can't make ends meet because someone who's a breadwinner, their life has been impacted. That's a regular thing for us," Williams said.
He sees the pain, witnesses the struggle, and wonders with all the gun violence if people take time to really heal.
"If we don't heal, we'll continue to hurt one another," Williams said.
Carmita McGlory counsels individuals and families impacted by gunfire about a mile away from the church at NorthPoint.
"It costs the lives of people, but the livelihood of people," McGlory said.
Those people may be triggered by the sound of gunfire. Someone who's lost a loved one to gun violence.
She also works with people who have been shot.
"We talk about living life again, and making moves, and trying to restore, reframe and redirect your life. It's deep work. We have to probe. We have to begin to understand how we are patient with the stories and narratives of these people," McGlory said.
She works with people to get uncomfortable, to dig deep and try to heal.
"What were some of their childhood trauma experiences? Why would we have to do problem solving with guns. Then we begin to have people understand that although they have been a victim of this level of violence, they don't necessarily have to continue to let this direct the rest of their lives," McGlory said.
McGlory says she worries about the people who don't get help.
"Because it is the level of overwhelming emotional experience that is tragic. It's traumatic. It's not only anxiety-provoking and provokes depression, but it can alter just the rest of a life of a person," McGlory said.
Brown knows he could benefit from therapy.
"Currently trying to stay out of jail right now, ain't really been focused on it," Brown said.
He says he is focusing on getting up each morning.
"I get real emotional looking at an old picture, right before, like when I was walking. The fact that I can wake up every morning and say that I'm here, that my life is actually worth something. I can't complain," Brown said.
There are places to turn to. Below is a list of resources for survivors and families:
Office of Justice Programs: Crime Victim Assistance
Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health
Mothers Against Community Gun Violence (MACGV)
