Kerr, Thompson join Oakland peace walk against gun violence
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, guard Klay Thompson, and other members of the team joined Oakland residents at a public town hall and peace walk Friday to advocate for gun violence reduction in the city.
Klay Thompson & Steve Kerr took part in a peace walk to reduce gun violence in Oakland yesterday. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/LYc8zqXDiH
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) March 7, 2020
Kerr, who has been vocal about gun violence in the past, was one of the guest speakers at the town hall.
"This goes way beyond politics, this is about humanity," Kerr said, according to Abene Clayton of the Guardian. "I get some pushback but I really don't care because it's too important and too many people are affected."
The gun homicide rate in Oakland has declined in recent years, dropping by 44% from 2007 to 2017, according to Clayton, Lois Beckett, Darwin BondGraham, and Peter Andringa of the Guardian. The decline has been attributed in part to community-led efforts and law enforcement.
Yesterday left us hopeful and more determined than ever. Along with @SteveKerr, @StephenCurry30 & @KlayThompson, we heard firsthand about Oakland’s transformative community-based efforts to reduce gun violence. Progress is possible. pic.twitter.com/f7D25crzKz
— Giffords (@GiffordsCourage) March 7, 2020