Press Releases

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson was joined in Washington today by Miami-Dade resident Antwan Reeves, whom she invited to speak at a press conference on gun violence. He was chosen to participate after surviving 11 gunshot wounds less than a year ago and was one of a select group of speakers that included parents of slain children and other survivors of gun violence.

Flanked by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn, and the civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, they shared heartbreaking stories about the loss of loved ones and the ways gun violence had permanently altered the course of their lives.

Reeves, who works for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, recounted how on November 24, 2015, he, two of his children, and his cousin Stedman Bailey, who was a wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams, were ambushed by unknown assailants while waiting outside of the home of a friend they were picking up.

“As we waited for my friend, a car pulled up behind us. Suddenly, a stream of bullets came flying through the back hatch of our SUV. I could feel them hitting my arms and legs and going through my stomach. The whole incident lasted maybe a minute, but it felt like hours, and to this day we have no idea why it happened,” he said. “As I scrambled to shield my little boy and girl, who were just 11 and 6 at the time, I asked God to please spare them even if they had to grow up without me.”

With bullets narrowly missing a blood vessel or vital organ, Reeves knows it’s a miracle that he lived and believes that God spared him so that he can spread the message to children about how guns can permanently destroy a life, a family and whole communities.

Reeves is a mentor in the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project founded by Rep. Wilson nearly 25 years ago and frequently talks to boys and young men, cautioning them to avoid being around guns for any reason because the potential losses are unrecoverable. The experience is still raw, but he’s determined to not waste the second chance God has given him to use his voice to make a real difference in others’ lives, particularly those of boys and younh men of color.

Rep. Wilson told reporters later that the press conference was one of many moves to come by congressional Democrats in their battle to get votes on common-sense legislation that will help reduce the incidence of gun violence in the United States.

“Stay tuned,” the Florida lawmaker said. “But we’re going to need the American public and pressure from the people of this nation to help us in this battle. We believe it’s going to work because we’re not going to give up. I am tired of burying little black boys [in my community] and I even have a fund set aside to pay for their funerals. So we’re going to fight. I’ve been in this battle for a long time and I do not intend to give up now.”