Gala raises funds to end gun violence
Tommy McBrayer Jr. understands the impact of gun violence.
Home from college in 2010, he started selling marijuana to make money and get off friends’ floors and couches. After a drug deal turned violent, McBrayer was tied up, shot, and left for dead.
“That was an eye-opener for me,” he says. “I knew I had to get on a different path.”
McBrayer became a community organizer with CANDO, the Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization, which seeks to build an urban landscape that heals, not harms, by eliminating systemic oppression. He also began hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, a free gathering in his apartment that grew into a significant community event held in public spaces.
But even a turnaround in life didn’t protect McBrayer from gun violence. Almost a decade after that near-fatal drug deal, McBrayer was shot twice in the belly during an argument with an intoxicated family friend.
The following year, a year in which Minneapolis registered 98 gun-related deaths, McBrayer founded Don’t Shoot Guns, Shoot Hoops (DSGSH)—a nonprofit committed to ending gun violence. Made up of community members trained to interrupt cycles of retaliatory violence, DSGSH offers tools and strategies and connects high-risk youth and young adults to social services, gun violence survivors, and violence prevention programs.
“I was never around guns, was never gang-banging,” he says. “I was that funny kid. When I got shot again, it proved that it could happen to anybody. I don’t have a single friend who’s not been shot.
“In my neighborhood, we have more guns than people. We had to do something about it. We can’t wait for oppressors to come and fix our neighborhoods. We as a community have to do it.”
Statistics show that gun violence in Minnesota is a race-based epidemic. Black communities experience a gun homicide rate 21 times greater than that of white communities. Black youth living in Minnesota are five times more likely to die by firearm than their white counterparts.
Overall, the rate of gun deaths in the state increased 44% from 2012 to 2021, compared to a 39% increase nationwide. During that same period, gun homicides increased by 171% in Minnesota, compared to a 73% increase nationwide.
Between 2021 and 2023, about 44% of state gun violence victims were Black, although Black people make up less than 8% of the overall population. During that same stretch, almost a quarter of gun victims were young people 18-24, although they account for less than 9% of the state population.
In Minneapolis, the numbers are even more devastating. Last year, nearly 80% of gun victims were Black; among juveniles, the number of Black victims jumped to almost 90%.
DSGSH will host a fundraising gala on Oct. 26 to support its work. The event, with the theme “Bringing Hope to the City,” will honor three community giants and feature musical performances by local artists. Joseph “Juice” Sutton—a comedian, actor, and in-game host for the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Wild—will serve as emcee.
The goal is to have 400 diverse attendees, including community leaders, activists, lawmakers, and those passionate about stopping gun violence. The gala allows attendees to network, build relationships, and increase their visibility within these critical social circles.
“After George Floyd and the pandemic, the city hasn’t been the same,” McBrayer says. “But no matter what trauma we live through, we need to have hope,” referencing the gala’s theme. “I’m using my platform to bring hope by fighting the disease of gun violence.”
Cynthia Moothart welcomes reader responses to cmoothart@spokesman-recorder.com.
Bringing Hope to the City
Mosaic Venue
(event space above Finnegans Brew Co.)
817 5th Ave. S
5-6:30 p.m. networking; 6:30-9 gala
An afterparty will run 9-11 p.m.
Tickets:
Individual: $100
Three sponsorship levels:
Bronze, $1,000 | Silver $2,500 | Gold $5,000
DSGSH is honoring three leaders lionized for their work with Black youth:
Steve Floyd has been working outreach with Minneapolis youth since the 1980s. Through the Minnesota Agape Movement, Floyd is transforming street energy into community energy—helping to build a stronger, more peaceful, safer community through advocacy, empowerment and education.
Mark Graves is the senior branch director of the Southside Village Boys & Girls Club, the same club he attended growing up. With almost 25 years at the Boys & Girls Club, Graves has influenced and inspired local youth for generations.
Larry McKenzie is the only coach to win four back-to-back state titles in the 100-year history of the Minnesota State Boys Basketball tournament. Now retired, McKenzie focuses on using athletics to empower students, establish positive partnerships with educational institutions, and promote personal growth in young individuals.
More information is available at the website: dontshootgunsshoothoops.org