About this episode

This episode features a panel discussion on gun violence and research in Wilmington, Delaware, highlighting the impact of structural violence and community activism.

In this special episode of Guns Unpacked, we feature a live recording of the closing panel address at the BRIDGS Initiative’s first ever Guns in Society symposium hosted from January 30-31st, 2025. Dr. Alex Trimble Young opens the closing session by recognizing the many cosponsors, collaborators, and contributors to this symposium who made this event possible, which highlights the importance of scholarly collaboration in shaping the national conversation on guns and gun violence that currently grips the United States of America, and the critical role that the production of scholarly research plays in guiding the development and implementation of sustainable interventions and practices for the future. This event featured a presentation by Yasser Arafat Payne, Brooklynn K. Hitchens, and Darryl L. Chambers who discuss their 2023 hit book, Murder Town, USA : Homicide, Structural Violence, and Activism in Wilmington and how poor investment and structural violence create the perfect conditions for gun violence and the way in which communities and everyday Americans choose to respond.

People in this episode

Host: Jennifer Carlson

Guests: Yasser Arafat Payne, Brooklynn K. Hitchens, Darryl L. Chambers

Topics covered

• gun violence
• participatory research
• community response
• structural violence
• scholarly collaboration

Keywords

• gun violence
• Wilmington
• structural violence
• community activism
• scholarly research
• Murder Town USA

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BRIDGS Initiative

Books & works: Murder Town, USA : Homicide, Structural Violence, and Activism in Wilmington

Places: Wilmington, Delaware

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