'We have the power to stop that.' Bridgeport community holds vigil to remember lives lost to gun violence

Cass Shaw says the driving force behind her mission to steer kids away from guns is a deeply personal belief that growing up in a safe place should not be a privilege reserved only for people with money.

News 12 Staff

Jan 28, 2022, 12:55 AM

Updated 1,082 days ago

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Friends and family gathered in Bridgeport to remember every life lost to violence over the past year.
Cass Shaw says the driving force behind her mission to steer kids away from guns is a deeply personal belief that growing up in a safe place should not be a privilege reserved only for people with money.
Every year, those who go to McLevy Green take part in the annual vigil to read every name on the list of victims. In 2021, there were 22.
"There are kids in Bridgeport who don't think they're going to live past 25 and we have the power to stop that," said Shaw.
Sean Reeves lost his 16-year-old son and says one way to find a path forward is by coming together to help build awareness.
"Me personally, it put me on this path - so now my aim is to end gun violence and everything that poverty's created in communities like mine," said Reeves.
Advocates say gun violence is a tall obstacle casting a dark shadow over the Bridgeport.
"The problem that we have is that it's just too easy to get a gun," said Jeremy Stein, of Connecticut Against Gun Violence.