I have served as the lead community victims' advocate throughout the court proceedings. I have been the direct advocate to the families of Johntaya Alexander, Sergio Harris, and Devazia Turner. Our organization stands in solidarity with all the individuals affected by this tragedy.

This has been a long, painful, and traumatizing four years. What took place on the early morning of April 3, 2022 was much more than a horrific act of gun violence — it was the absolute worst day of the families' lives. What will historically be known as the K Street mass shooting, the deadliest shooting in Sacramento’s history, has left a stain on this city that will never disappear.

Today, a mistrial was declared. I have said many, many times in this case that whatever the verdict would be, no one wins. There are no winners in this. A mistrial does not change that, it only extends it. Everyone involved will be forever changed, and now they are asked to carry that weight without the resolution they endured four years to reach. This mass casualty has affected real lives, witnesses who were also shot, and some who witnessed the gunfire. They will forever be changed as well.

My role as an advocate in these proceedings is to provide emotional support through this grueling process and to see to it that the families' rights are protected in a space that does not center them. No family should ever have to undergo this journey alone. And no family should ever have to be subject to the disrespect and the lack of compassion that was present in this trial and in the courthouse.

We as advocates talk a lot about gun violence. You'll hear law enforcement say that gun violence is on the decline. You'll hear million-dollar budget numbers allocated to violence prevention, otherwise known as the Office of Violence Prevention. But what does any of that matter when something like this can take place just two blocks from the capitol building of the State of California? Where eighteen people were shot and six would lose their lives.

The reality of senseless gun violence is not in the headlines, it's the families left behind.

I've paid the price many times over for my position in this case. My life has been threatened. My character has been assassinated. My leadership has been questioned and diminished. Those are the realities that can come with standing where others choose not to stand. From the very beginning, I have been clear: my commitment is to the community and to the victims' families, not to the system. There is a price for that kind of independence. Some resent my willingness to take the blows and remain in the fight anyway. But I have never measured my work by popularity. I measure it by whether families know they are not alone. I'm not your average advocate. I believe in independent thought, unwavering integrity, and showing up even when it comes at a personal cost.

I carry the audacity to walk in and out of that courthouse and stand beside the families, regardless of whether society believes they deserve it or not, or whether the system believes they deserve advocacy or not. Every victim deserves dignity, every family deserves support, and justice means nothing if we abandon those who are living with unimaginable loss.

I want to publicly express my gratitude to the families for trusting me with your grief, your hope, and your journey. It's been a helluva four years. They possess a strength that can't be described. No parent should ever have to bury their child, no matter the age, no matter the circumstances.

The reality of the K Street shooting is not what took place in the courtroom. It's in the intimate moments that I've had the pleasure to share with each family — learning more about the victims, their lives, their childhood, and watching their children grow over the past four years.

I can no longer bear witness to environments where compassion is too often overshadowed by procedure and where those carrying the greatest pain are treated as though they are secondary to the process. This experience has fundamentally changed me.

Victims deserve so much more than what I have witnessed. They deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, compassion, and humanity. While I may be stepping away from court support in future cases, I will never step away from advocating for victims, demanding accountability, or fighting for systems that truly center the people. That reality does not erase my commitment to the families I have already stood beside, but it does mean I have to be honest about what this work has cost, and what it will continue to cost if I do not draw a line.

In closing, please be mindful of what matters the most.