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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 45 Two Sections
NOVEMBER 8-14, 2023
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Is our community becoming ‘numb’ to the gun violence? Community members weigh in, as county approaches 100 homicides for the year
HEAVEN BUDD, 21, WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN HOMEWOOD ON OCT. 22. ERIC STEPHENS, 38, WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN HOMESTEAD, NOV. 1.
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Talk to gun violence interrupters in Pittsburgh like Rev. Cornell Jones and Rev. Eileen Smith, and they’ll tell you that they have no plans to stop fighting against the shootings plaguing many Black communities in the region.
But if you talk to them, they’ll also tell you that some people in the Black community see gun violence as “normal,” or that it’s “no big deal.” And that’s not good. But overall, Rev. Smith told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview, Nov. 7, “I don’t think the community is becoming numb, I think
the community is just as devastated as they’ve ever been, but now it’s becoming old hat,” she said. “It’s like, no big deal anymore, but it’s still taken seriously. I know it is by us and our team that goes out into the street.” Reverend Smith is the executive director of the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace. Reverend
Jones is the City of Pittsburgh’s Director of Street Outreach. They are two of the numerous African Americans in the Pittsburgh area who tackle gun violence head-on, speaking with possible violence perpetrators and showing them alternatives to the street life. For Reverend Jones, who told the Cou-
rier it’s his life’s mission to help those who may be overlooked or thrown away by the rest of society, he said oftentimes it’s the media’s portrayal of gun violence that makes people think that it’s an everyday thing or something you have no choice but to live with. “One of the challenges is, people think that this
is just an outreach team and law enforcement issue, when I believe this is a village-at-large issue,” Rev. Jones told the Courier, Nov. 6. “This is something that we have to go from being on the sidelines to being in the game to be able to deal with the issues of the violence SEE GUN VIOLENCE A5
Kenyon Bonner named VP, Chief Student Affairs Officer at the University of Virginia Is a member of Courier’s ‘Men of Excellence’ Class of 2017 by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Kenyon Bonner, vice provost for student affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the New Pittsburgh Courier’s “Men of Excellence” Class of 2017, will step down from his position to become vice president and chief student affairs officer at the University of Virginia, the Courier has learned. Joseph J. McCarthy, Pitt’s Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor, made the announcement on Monday, Nov. 6, via the university’s website. “In his time at Pitt, which began in 2004 as
assistant director of residence life, Kenyon has certainly left his mark on all areas impacting a student’s time with us, and I want to recognize his outstanding service and leadership in these areas,” McCarthy said. McCarthy described Bonner’s ability to serve not only as director of student life, but as associate dean of students simultaneously for seven years. In August 2021, McCarthy said Bonner was named vice provost for student affairs, “which included appointment to the chancellor’s senior leadership SEE BONNER A9
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KENYON BONNER, a vice provost at the University of Pittsburgh, will join the University of Virginia as vice president and chief student affairs officer in January 2024. (Photo by Emily Faith Morgan, University of Virginia Communications)