‘I still see my son’: Gun violence survivors, advocates gather to tackle crime, promote healing

Survivors of gun violence and public safety advocates gathered Thursday to work on reducing crime and helping victims heal.

Pastors Ron and Kim Odom, whose 13-year-old son Steven was killed in 2007, attended “Boston Safe: Uniting Against Gun Violence” at MASS Design Group.

Steven, a drummer at his parents’ church, was in middle school when he was gunned down in Dorchester, leaving a family that is still healing nearly 17 years later.

“I still see my 13-year-old son, and sometimes that haunts me a little bit. I wonder what he would look like in this day,” Ron Odom said. “It may take some time. There’s different stages in trauma and healing, but I’m like, whatever it takes to heal, I’m going to heal.”

“Homicide is a public health issue and a public health emergency,” his wife, Kim Odom, added. “So, we all have to be part of making that change.”

Aswad Thomas, National Director of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, led the program in collaboration with the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, which provided a traveling memorial of homicide victims.

Thomas, the first man in his family to graduate college, was three weeks from playing professional basketball overseas in 2007, when he was shot twice in the back in an attempted robbery while leaving a convenience store in his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut.

“Those bullets ended my basketball career and nearly my life as well,” Thomas said. “The teenager who had shot me was also a victim of gun violence four years before. And just like me, the doctor that saved my life saved his life as well. I strongly believe his unaddressed trauma played a huge role in my shooting years later.”

It is that cycle of crime that Thomas, on his multi-city tour, is hoping to break. He believes victim healing is a key component to crime reduction.

Isaac Yablo, - Senior Advisor for Community Safety for the City of Boston, told Boston 25 News Mayor Michelle Wu’s office is committed to providing the resources needed.

“We are at, like, a 60-percent decrease in homicides this year. But that doesn’t really matter, because eight homicides is too many,” Yablo said. “Boston’s gun crimes are down. But, as we always say, within the communities where the violence is occurring, people don’t feel like it’s down.”

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter . | Watch Boston 25 News NOW