José Alfaro first Latino leading national gun violence prevention organization, Community Justice
José Alfaro, executive director of Community Justice makes history as the first Latino leading a national gun violence prevention organization in the U.S. at a time when the Surgeon General declared firearm violence a public health crisis.
José Alfaro is making history as the first Latino to lead a national gun violence prevention organization in the U.S. at a time when firearms are increasingly killing Americans.
Gun violence has risen to such dire levels that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the nation’s top doctor, issued a first-of-its-kind advisory last week — officially declaring firearm violence a public health crisis.
As the new executive director of Community Justice, the leading gun violence prevention organization centered around minorities, Alfaro said he plans on focusing his work on "Black and brown communities across the United States who have been disproportionately impacted for generations."
“This is a public health crisis robbing young people of their lives,” Alfaro told NBC News in his first interview since stepping into his new role.
The most recent data available shows that 48,204 people died from firearm‑related injuries in 2022, including suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths, according to the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General. This is over 8,000 more lives lost than in 2019 and over 16,000 more lives lost than in 2010.
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