ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An Allentown woman who dedicated her life to curbing gun violence after her son was fatally shot will now advise some of Pennsylvania’s top officials.
Jeani Garcia, who took the helm at Promise Neighborhoods this year, was recently named to serve on the executive committee for the state’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention. She is one of 29 advocates and experts who form the inaugural committee.
Garcia has said she found her son’s bloody body in his bed in 2012 after he was shot and killed by gang members.
She channeled her grief into action by searching for her son’s killer and fighting for legislative changes.
Garcia became an activist and a credible messenger, working with juveniles in the criminal justice system and other at-risk kids to push them away from violence. She took over as Promise Neighborhoods’ director of operations in September 2017 and served almost eight years in that role.
“It really just brings my life full circle."Jeani Garcia, Promise Neighborhoods executive director, on her new advisory role
Garcia was promoted to interim executive director this spring. She succeeds Hassan Batts, who established the nonprofit eight years ago.
Several months later, she was named to advise Lt. Gov. Austin Davis on strategies to prevent others from suffering from gun violence and its fallout.
“It really just brings my life full circle,” Garcia told LehighValleyNews.com after being named to her advisory role.
She said it will give her opportunities to spread effective strategies and help coordinate “how we need to work together to address this issue of gun violence.”
Garcia plans to share insights on how Allentown officials and advocates helped drive homicides to their lowest number in more than 30 years in 2024.
“The community who is closest to the pain is closest to the solutions."Jeani Garcia, Promise Neighborhoods executive director
She said it’s “very important” for the state’s third-largest city to be represented on the Office of Gun Violence Prevention’s executive committee.
'Boots to ground' programs
Garcia called for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration to “support grassroots organizations all across the state of Pennsylvania.”
She also urged support for gun-violence-prevention programs that put “boots to ground,” like credible messengers and “violence interrupters.”
“The community who is closest to the pain is closest to the solutions,” Garcia said.
Pennsylvania’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention was first opened in 2019 to coordinate state agencies working on gun violence prevention; then-President Joe Biden in 2023 urged states to establish offices similar to Pennsylvania’s.
Shapiro signed an executive order in September 2024 to re-establish the office within the state’s Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
The office this year released its Initial Report and Strategic Plan for how to develop an effective statewide initiative to curb gun violence.
Establishing a “robust, diverse” advisory group on gun-violence prevention was the second step of that plan.
