Abené Clayton
Reporter
Reporter
I am a reporter for in the Guardian’s California office and have been the lead reporter on the newspaper’s “Guns & Lies in America” series since 2019. I started covering community gun violence in Richmond, California, and currently cover the incidents of gun violence in lower-income Black and Latino communities that go underreported.
Thousands of kids in my hometown hear, see or witness shootings near their schools each year. Why aren’t we doing more to help them cope?
The mainstream national conversation around student safety — both mental and physical —primarily revolves around preventing and responding to high-profile mass shootings. After these events, “mental first aid” is deployed for students and includes collaborations with local mental health groups.