AUSTIN, Texas — Hearing about shootings happening across our country, and in Austin, may leave some numb to the violence. There is a grieving mother and city official who both hope there's a way people can be proactive in protecting others who live in Texas.
Diana Earl is a mother of one, Dedrick Earl.
"He's got a big heart and a big personality," Earl said.
Three years ago, Dedrick went to visit some friends in North Austin. One of the neighbors got in an argument with them about some ashes that he said had been placed on his car.
"My son was not a part of the incident, but my son was there to try and deescalate the situation," Earl said.
The neighbor initially wanted them to clean his car. Dedrick and his friends went to the store to get supplies, cleaning the car when they got back to the apartment complex.
"He then calls the police on them," Earl said, referring to the neighbor. "He tells the police they were messing with his car."
Earl said things escalated to a place she never thought her son would be a part of.
"He decided to bring his gun, his loaded gun, downstairs and threaten the boys with it," Earl said. "He told them to get away from his car or he was going to blow their heads off. He was trying to escalate into a deadly situation."
Then the unthinkable happened to Earl's son.
"He shot my son clean in the neck," Earl said. "He killed my son."
It caused Earl pain but gave her new motivation.
"I actually turned my grief into action and to power," Earl said.
Earl started volunteering for Moms Demand Action. This is a grassroots movement led by people wanting to protect others from gun violence.
"I was entered into a club no one wants to be in," Earl said, as a mother with a killed child. "It's healing when you're helping others go through the same thing."
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Austin City Council Member Alison Alter is fighting against gun violence as well. On Thursday, Alter will ask city council to approve the creation of a task force against gun violence.
"We can't just wait around and do nothing," Alter said. "We need a place where we can create a tailored and strategic approach to gun violence prevention in our city. People to really dive into what we need to do here in Austin to prevent gun violence. This is not an abstract thing that is foreign to Austin. This task force and this data will allow us to take those next steps."
If City Council passes the resolution to add a task force, each council member will be able to appoint someone to the team while others can apply online as well.
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