Leaders of several East Bay cities gathered with gun violence prevention experts in Oakland for a day-long conference on Friday.
Convened by Mayor Barbara Lee, the gathering focused on two central themes: collaboration at a regional level to address gun violence, and focusing on the supply side of the problem — the flow of illegal firearms on the streets of cities like Oakland.
“Cities across the Bay Area have experienced drastic drops in violent crime recently, over the last year, a testament to the powerful work by the officials here and communities around the region. This, however, remains true: gun violence continues to devastate far too many communities and families across the Bay Area,” said Kris Brown, president of the gun violence prevention group Brady, at a press conference before the gathering…