It All Begins Here

On last Thursday's episode of The Pop-Up!, we continued "Together We End Gun Violence Week" with guests Kimberly Wyatt, King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, and Karyn Brownson, Seattle & King County Lock It Up Program Manager.

The conversation explored key firearm safety and legal measures, covering the role of the Prosecuting Attorney, the function of emergency and civil protection orders, and how the Lock-It-Up program helps residents store firearms safely.

Converge Media partnered with the King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention (ROGVP) for "Together We End Gun Violence Week" because both organizations are committed to owning the narrative around gun violence and public safety. This partnership is a strategic "takeover" of The Pop-Up!, which is explicitly designed to bring meaningful news, culture, and conversation to Seattle’s Black community–a community disproportionately affected by gun violence.

On Friday’s episode of The Pop-Up!, host The Big O explored the work of gun violence prevention and community advocacy alongside special guests Gregory Joseph, Communications Director for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, and King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention (ROGVP) Youth Ambassadors for Change Joshua Wheeldon and Melodie Slaughter.

While Joseph discussed the Alliance’s efforts to empower survivors and influence policy, the Youth Ambassadors shared their perspectives on the impact of gun violence and the necessity of youth voices in shaping our future.

Converge Media partnered with ROGVP for "Together We End Gun Violence Week" because both organizations are committed to owning the narrative around gun violence and public safety. This partnership is a strategic "takeover" of The Pop-Up!, which is designed to bring meaningful news, culture, and conversation to Seattle’s Black community–a community disproportionately affected by gun violence.

On last night’s episode of The Pop-Up!, we continue our "Together We End Gun Violence Week" series with special guests Eddie Purpose, Founder and Executive Director of Progress Pushers, and Marvin Marshall, Executive Director of the Freedom Project.

Alongside host The Big O, the guests discussed the importance of leveraging lived experience in public safety work, the necessity of collective community action, and how partnering with established systems can lead to more effective violence prevention.

They also highlighted the King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention’s 6th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day Gun Lockbox Giveaway happening this Friday, June 5.

Converge Media is partnering with the King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention (ROGVP) for "Together We End Gun Violence Week" because both organizations are committed to owning the narrative around gun violence and public safety. This partnership is a strategic "takeover" of The Pop-Up!, which is explicitly designed to bring meaningful news, culture, and conversation to Seattle’s Black community–a community disproportionately affected by gun violence.

This episode of The Pop-Up! is part of Together We End Gun Violence Week—a special series centering community, survivors, and public health solutions. Host The Big O was joined by:

• Eleuthera Lisch – Director, King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention

• Deaunte Damper – Community Engagement Specialist, King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention

• Ariana Donneville – Communications Lead and survivor of gun violence

Together, they broke down what it really means to take a public health approach to gun violence—treating it like a disease that can be prevented, interrupted, and healed when **community and government move in alignment. In this episode, they discuss:

• How the King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention coordinates with mayors, police chiefs, schools, and community organizations across seven geographic areas of the county

• The role of community-led public safety through groups like Community Passageways, Urban Family, Freedom Project, and Progress Pushers

• Rapid response and stabilization for families, apartment complexes, and neighborhoods after shootings

• Prevention and harm reduction tools, including Stop the Bleed trainings and free firearm lock box giveaways across King County

• The emotional and spiritual labor of survivors and families—fathers, mothers, and loved ones—turning pain into purpose

• The connection between Pride, public safety, and the ongoing work to keep LGBTQIA+ and Black communities safe

You’ll also hear personal reflections from Ariana on losing her mother to gun violence as a child and how that shapes her work today, and from Eleuthera and Deaunte on why this is more than a job—it’s a mission. This week is a reminder: ending gun violence is not just government’s job or community’s job—it’s all of us. Together We End Gun Violence.

Tune into The Pop-Up! all week as the conversation continues with survivors, organizers, and leaders who are building real safety across Seattle and King County.

Last night, The Pop-Up! launches "Together We End Gun Violence Week,” presented in partnership with the King County Regional Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The Big O sat down with Jenine Lewis, Founder of Solace, and Lonnisha Landry, Founder of Just/Us Loved Ones.

The conversation will focus on their personal journeys as survivors, exploring how they have navigated grief, found hope, and why their experience is essential when addressing gun violence. Jenine and Lonnisha will also share information about their respective organizations (Solace and Just/Us Love Ones), discuss what "together we end gun violence" means to them, and highlight upcoming events like the Solace Weave walk on June 6th.