The City of Columbia held a press conference to announce the first annual National SMART Week, which is taking place from August 26 to August 30, 2024. The City of Columbia’s Violent Crime Prevention hosted the press conference inside City Council Chambers at City Hall, 1737 Main Street. Speakers of the press conference included:
- City of Columbia Mayor, Daniel J. Rickenmann
- City of Columbia Councilwoman, Dr. Aditi Bussells
- City of Columbia Violent Crime Prevention Director, Trevon Fordham
- City of Columbia Police Chief, William “Skip” Holbrook
- Be Smart Volunteer, Sarah Venn
- Serve and Connect Founder and CEO, Kassy Alia Ray
- Richland School District One Superintendent, Dr. Craig Witherspoon
- Richland School District Two Superintendent, Dr. Kim D. Moore
- Fairfield County School District Superintendent, Dr. Tony Hemingway
- Calhoun County Public Schools Chief Accountability Officer, Dr. Treda Keith-Nelson
- Orangeburg County School District Director of Student Services, Hayward Jean
- Prisma Health Trauma Survivors Network Coordinator, Lara Peck
Also in attendance at the press conference was City of Columbia At-Large Councilman Tyler D. Bailey, Irmo Police Chief Robert Dale and representatives from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. We thank all of our community partners for coming together to raise awareness on proper gun safety and storage.
SMART Week is all about educating communities on the simple steps that everyone — gun owners and non-gun owners alike — can take right now to prevent gun violence:
- Secure all guns in homes and vehicles
- Model responsible behavior around guns
- Ask about the presence of unsecured firearms in other homes your child visits and in vehicles they ride
- Recognize the role of guns in suicide
- Tell your peers to Be SMART
SMART is a community-wide effort. Change happens every day through meaningful conversation with friends, family, neighbors, and community leaders. As we go through the school year, let’s consider this as a homework assignment for us parents and adults and normalize conversations about gun safety and spread the Be SMART message far and wide.
For more information about SMART Week, visit besmartforkids.org or email midlandsbesmart@gmail.com.
