Deborah Prothrow-Stith and Howard Spivak spoke about their book on violence prevention.

He also happens to be a member of a Boston gang, and at a recent violence prevention conference at HSPH, he was apologetic to a girl whose sibling was killed by a gang. While not involved in the child’s death, Mario recognized the pain that violence can wreak. "I’m sorry for all your mother’s loss," he said softly and haltingly, "and for what I took part in when I was ignorant."

Mario was a panelist during the two-day, Sixth Annual National Survivors of Violence Conference in Snyder Auditorium in April. A wiry, stoney-faced man, he is working towards trading violence for a more positive life, founding a record label through which he and his friends can channel their energy. Nonetheless, he is not ready to give up the gang.

"You’re not going to get none of us to escape and just walk away from [our gangs]," he said. "You have to get all of us together, and then we can leave the names and the rivalry and start something united."

While fewer adults in the U.S. today are dying as a result of homicide, this is not the case among youth. The National Institutes of Health notes that homicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 24, after accidents.

Keynote speaker and HSPH professor Deborah Prothrow-Stith is all too aware of the toll of violence. A former ER doctor who treated dozens of gunshot wounds and knife gashes, she helped found the violence prevention conference six years ago. This year, she co-wrote a book called Murder Is No Accident: Understanding and Preventing Youth Violence in America.

"I think we underestimate the courage it takes to share our stories, our pain," she said to the audience. "One of the most inspiring parts of coming into this community is experiencing your capacity to share pain without judgment."

Howard Spivak, who co-authored the book with Prothrow-Stith, gave special notice to the uncounted victims of violence, especially those who suffer emotional, rather than physical, wounds for many years after the fact. He emphasized the impact of violence on loved ones.

"It is the family and friends who lose and who are often forgotten," he said.

Spivak urged community leaders to not wait until kids are in trouble before attempting to strengthen school and community resources. "There is real success in understanding the importance of community empowerment and stakeholder involvement," he said.

Beware of complacency, he added, especially during tough economic times when it is easy to give up.

Over the course of the two days, a series of keynote talks, panel discussions, and workshops, interspersed with role-playing, music, and dance, told the story of pain and the path of healing a person follows after being touched by violent death. Young people working with anti-violence groups shared their experiences. Academics, social workers, and members of community-based organizations from around the country offered strategies for prevention and change, much of it based on their own life stories.

--PHC