This story contains mentions of gun violence and domestic violence.
After nationwide firearm deaths reached a 20-year high in 2020, Evanston- and Illinois-based advocates are pushing for further implementation of gun-violence prevention policies.
Although gun violence increased nationally in 2020, some advocates say the issue doesn’t receive enough attention within the Evanston community, especially when it happens in Black and lower-income neighborhoods. Black men are eight times more likely to die by firearm homicide than the general population, according to a 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
Carolyn Murray, a gun control advocate and former 5th Ward aldermanic candidate, said City Council needs to take gun violence and its effects on the community more seriously.