10-30-17

THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904

SPORTS

INSIDE

Bonds set for 3 men accused in downtown shooting p. 3

Transfer players excel in women’s basketball’s win over Emporia State The University Daily Kansan

vol. 135 // iss. 20 Mon., Oct. 30, 2017

New Union Gallery explores depression, anxiety and PTSD

SEE BASKETBALL • PAGE 12

p. 9

REMEMBERING LEAH BROWN Friend speaks about shooting victim, local business gives back

Caitlynn Salazar/KANSAN Local breakfast bar Wake the Dead is paying tribute to Leah Brown, a victim of the Oct. 1 shooting on Massachusetts Street, by donating a portion of their sales to her family. EMILY BECKMAN @emilybeckman7 Tiajah Holt, a sophomore from Olathe, said she has seen gun violence and guns on campus as an issue. When her longtime friend was shot on Massachusetts Street earlier this month, her outlook changed and her activism increased. Leah Brown, a 22-yearold from Shawnee, was that friend. Brown was fatally shot in an act of gun violence on Massachusetts Street on Oct. 1, an incident that left three people dead and two injured. Now the community has the opportunity to give back to Brown’s family through inciting change by reaching out to local representatives. There is also an opportunity to donate to Brown’s memorial by purchasing donuts at a downtown Lawrence business, Wake the Dead. “You always hear articles about gun violence, and you’re like ‘oh my gosh, [that’s] so horrible, guns shouldn’t be allowed for everyone,’ but when it happens close to you, in your community, to someone you love, any of that, you see firsthand that this is a huge problem,” Holt said. Holt described herself as a friend and sister of

Brown. Holt’s mother and Brown’s mother have been best friends for years and their families are close. “She’s like, pretty much my big sister. She was the oldest of all of the kids so she was all of our big sister,” she said.

PREVENTING GUN VIOLENCE In an effort to eliminate future gun violence, Holt said herself and other members of Brown’s family have contacted members of congress.

“Everybody who knew her absolutely loved her. She was an amazing person and had an amazing soul.” Tiajah Holt friend of Leah Brown

Holt remembers Brown as someone who was adventurous and fun-loving. “Everybody who knew her absolutely loved her. She was an amazing person and had an amazing soul,” she said. If someone who was close to Brown had passed away, Holt said, she was the kind of person who would have been “at every single thing.” “So we know that as her family and friends and her supporters, that we need to do everything in our power to make sure that her life doesn’t end here [and] that she isn’t forgotten. And we’re gonna do everything we can to make sure that this doesn’t happen to other people,” Holt said.

Holt said she has emailed a local official, and plans to reach out to state officials as well about changing laws and rethinking guns on campus. “Gun violence is a huge issue [and] we need to do something about it. And I think congress is one of the main ways you can do that. We need to get the government involved to help the communities that are suffering with this gun violence,” she said. In order to incite change and prevent gun violence from happening, Holt is encouraging others to reach out as well. “If you’re outraged like we are, then you need to find a way to reach out to the people who have a say,”

Holt said. “Because feeling that this is outrageous isn’t enough. You can’t just feel sad about the shooting, and expect something to happen. It’s about reaching out to the people who actually can do something for you and who can change something in our community.”

GIVING BACK There are several ways to donate to Brown’s memorial, and one is by purchasing a donut. Each month, Wake The Dead Breakfast Bar, located at 7 E. 7th St., donates 25 percent of its donut profits to a different local charity – but this month is a bit different. This October, the business will donate all profits from donuts to Brown’s memorial. Following the tragedy, Ryan Robinson, co-owner of Wake The Dead, said the business felt compelled to help. “Wake The Dead was created as a place to celebrate people’s lives and death,” he said. Since Brown’s passing, Robinson recalled several times when her family and friends gathered at the business to celebrate her life. “Just last week we had 25 of Leah’s family and friends in here, you know,

all enjoying themselves and celebrating her life,” he said. “And it’s been a beautiful thing to kind of get to know her family and friends through this whole thing.” While Robinson didn’t know Brown and her family prior to her death, he had mutual friends and said Lawrence and Shawnee are both “small ponds.” Robinson has lost a child, too. “I carry that burden with Leah’s mother, so we’ve connected on that level and just really kind of try to be a source of hope and inspiration as she’s going through this dark time,” he said. By purchasing donuts from Wake The Dead this month or donating to the YouCaring page, there are several ways in which people can help alleviate the family’s financial burdens. But people can help by speaking out against gun violence too, Holt said. “If you felt outraged, there are things you can do,” Holt said. “The simplest thing is you can just go buy a donut, and the hardest thing, like the most effective thing you could do, is emailing your congress, spread the word, talk to your friends and family about what’s happening around us and try to change it.”