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Cuyahoga County Council presents Gun Violence Awareness Day commendation; advocates press for prevention office action
Summary
At its May 27 meeting the council presented a commendation declaring June 6, 2025, Gun Violence Awareness Day, heard testimony from a Moms Demand Action volunteer who lost her son to gun violence, and received an update that a county Violence Prevention Office and administrator are being put in place this summer.
Cuyahoga County Council on May 27 presented a commendation declaring Friday, June 6, 2025, as Gun Violence Awareness Day and heard an emotional appeal from a volunteer whose son was killed in a 2022 shooting.
Bethany Rohrer, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action, told council members that her son, Lawrence Christopher Morgan, was shot and killed on June 21, 2022, near the family’s Parma home and urged the county to increase awareness and survivor support. "My name is Bethany Rohrer, and I am a childless mother," she said, recounting the loss and calling for community action. She cited national and local statistics about firearm deaths and urged residents to wear orange during the awareness weekend.
The remarks were followed by a report introduced during the county executive’s message that credited community advocates, including Moms Demand Action, for prompting creation of a county Office of Violence Prevention. The speaker identified in the meeting as delivering the county executive’s remarks said, "We will have a violence prevention administrator on board. We hope by this summer, particularly hoping by the July 4," and added that the county had announced the office publicly at a recent event in East Cleveland. The speaker also said, "It was you, Moms Demand Action, who demanded action, and we acted on it." (The transcript indicates the executive’s message was delivered from the county executive’s office; the speaker did not give a personal name in the meeting record.)
Why it matters: council acknowledgment and an administrative hire signal local government intent to coordinate prevention efforts and to provide a visible point of contact for survivors and community groups. Advocates at the meeting urged public memorialization and community awareness as initial steps.
What happened next: the council presented the commendation in the meeting and recorded the remarks; councilmembers and the executive’s representative emphasized continued partnership with community groups on programming and enforcement priorities. The meeting did not record a formal ordinance establishing the office; the executive’s remarks set an expectation that an administrator will be on board this summer and that further formal actions or staffing details will follow in upcoming meetings.
