Today we’d like to introduce you to Erick Bellomy.
Hi Erick, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m not sure where to start… I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from South High School in 2013. My mom was a single mother, and I was the only child until the age of 13. I didn’t have the best childhood and was often considered a trouble child who was involved in the court system until the age of 18. While in high school, I volunteered with the United Methodist Free Store in Columbus, and that’s where I got my first taste of volunteerism. After the election of Donald Trump, I felt like the rights of many folks in this country were at risk of being limited, especially those in the LGBTQI+ community so I sprang into action and brought folks together from many different walks of life and organized actions that called out his rhetoric. After doing this, I got involved with many grassroots organizations that were established in Columbus that helped folks that were disadvantaged. These organizations helped POC, BIPOC, Immigrants, LGBTQI folx, women, etc. Before working closely with these organizations, I had no idea about the injustices that many folks face in this country, and it was very eye-opening to say the least. During this time, I had learned how to organize around injustices, get out the vote, the importance of voting and voter registration, and how to mobilize folks into direct action.
Five years ago, on October 12th, 2017, I received the most devastating news that I could ever imagine. 30 minutes after leaving my dad’s house, I received a call from my grandma telling me that something terrible has happened and that I needed to come pick her up and head to my father’s. On my way to my dad’s house, I had this feeling in my chest that he was gone. As we were passing the fire station, I saw all of the medics backing into the fire station, and I looked over at my friend and said… “He’s gone; I know he’s dead.”
We arrive at my dad’s house and are met by yellow tape, news cameras, police, and no answers. I remember the night very well… It was chilly, windy, and an oddly quiet night. We stand at the yellow tape waiting for answers for hours. Bright LED lights were both inside and outside of the house shining, making light for the investigators, and a thin orange barrier sat in front of the front door, continuously blowing onto the ground due to the wind. Around 3 am, the police walk up to me and my grandmother and ask us if we were the family of Erick Bellomy Sr and had told us that he was murdered and they believe they know who the suspect was and that there were witnesses. Right then me and my grandma both break down, call family and tell them to get there ASAP. During this time, my father laid on the floor at the front door for over 8 hours while they investigated his death. My dad’s death was a big “breaking news” story because he was the 101st murder of that year, and we were on the verge of breaking the record of the most homicides within a year. 4 months after the shooting death of my father, the Parkland shooting happened in Florida, and I had decided to join March for Our Lives to do a sister march here in Columbus. We partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety and had a huge rally in Downtown Columbus that brought over 7 thousand people together to call on congress to do something about gun violence. After this partnership, I continued my work in Gun Violence prevention and starting my own Non-Profit called the Gun Violence Survivor Network (GVSN), which aims to help survivors of gun violence. After creating GVSN, I felt like I needed to do more in the community, so I decided to put myself up for nomination to become a commissioner of the same neighborhood that my father was murdered in and was appointment by the mayor soon after. After sharing my story, I was invited by the Mel Robins show in New York to share my story on her daytime talk show. Then in 2020, I was invited to the Brady and Everytown for Gun Safety Endorsement of Joe Biden. After attending the endorsement event and meeting the President, I made the decision to volunteer with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. In 2021 I became the State Lead for Ohio and have worked to battle many dangerous bills in the State House, including Stand Your Ground, Arming Teachers, and Permitless carry. In July, President Joe Biden invited survivors from across the country to come to the white house for the signing ceremony of the Safer Communities Act, which I was able to attend.
I’m currently in school for social work, so I can do more advocacy work like this both in the community and at the state house. I dream of a day where families don’t have to feel the same way my family has had to feel after the murder of my pops.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. This work involves trauma and a lot of it. Every time I’m working on battling dangerous legislation, share my story or work with another family that has been affected by homicides, I am retraumatized by my own story. This is a nightmare that I wish on absolutely no one and a pain that is not easily explained to someone that has never had to experience it. I live in a state that loves profit and guns over people and a city that is plagued by the gun violence epidemic. While my city is calling for change, our state is making it worse by-passing dangerous gun bills through the legislator that put all of us at risk, and even though I may fight for common sense gun legislation and have constant losses in my work, it doesn’t stop me because the memory of my father keeps me going.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m currently the state lead for the brady campaign, and Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes, Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.
As the state lead, I oversee the Executive Committee and Chapters throughout the State to make sure that they have the resources and assistance that they need. I work with local and state legislators to pass common-sense gun legislation like extreme risk laws, expanded background checks, safe storage laws, etc. I have testified both at city council, in the state house, and at commission meetings. I also find and partner with grassroots organizations in the city to work on gun violence prevention.
Contact Info:
- Website: bradyunited.org
- Twitter: twitter.com/erickbellomy
Image Credits
Gabrielle Shae Photography
