CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – On the evening of Aug. 3, 2004, Shawana Gray met up with her little brother, 19-year-old Christopher Garrett.
“He took my son out of my hands – (my son) turned 4 months old that day – he took my baby out of my hands and was throwing him up in the air and I’m scared out of my mind, saying like, ‘Give me my baby back,’ and my son was just so tickled,” Gray said.
She had never heard her son laugh like that, and moments later, Garrett got in his car and left. About 15 minutes later, he was shot and killed, caught in the wrong place and the wrong time in the middle of a shootout over drugs.
Much like the family of Justin Neves, Gray is one many who have lost loved ones to gun violence in Clarksville. In the aftermath of Gray’s loss emerged one of the few local organizations that aims to support bereaved families and friends, end gun violence and provide safer outlets for youth.
CG Foundation
Of their five siblings, Gray was the oldest and Garrett was the third child. He would be 36 years old today, and Gray, now 39 and a single mom of three, told Clarksville Now that his absence continues to weigh heavily on her and their family.
“It was just tragic, a day that we will never forget. It’s not just family, it’s friends too. His daughter was only a year old when he was killed, and now she’s 17,” Gray said.
Gray has since moved to Virginia, and in April 2020, she decided to start the CG Foundation Inc. in her brother’s memory to help others in Clarksville grieving the loss of loved ones or friends to gun violence.
“What happened to him has inspired me to organize my foundation, and to want to help other individuals and families that have been affected by gun violence. Learning how to cope with that type of situation is hard, so that’s why I started it because I can relate to the trauma. There is a way to cope,” Gray said.
Even though Gray said there is no “getting over” the loss of a loved one, the past 16 years have allowed her the space to learn how to cope in a healthy manner.
“That’s why I started this foundation because now I can talk about (my brother) without crying,” Gray said, adding that she wants to help others get to that same place.
“This doesn’t have to just be about a loved one. It could be a special person, a relative or anyone to come out. It’s my goal to just show them how to go about learning how to grieve helpfully and live in the absence of your loved one.”
Emotional support and community intervention
The CG Foundation helps families with the costs of utilities, food, education and end-of-life costs. They organize community events, too, to build support around families.
“I know how it feels to lose someone to gun violence. I know what it feels like to have that life robbed from you, especially over stupidity,” Gray said.
The first event was held May 22 at the American Legion on Ninth Street in Clarksville. Along with surviving family members, community leaders like state Rep. Jason Hodges and local NAACP President Jimmie Garland attended, along with Clarksville Police officers.
The centerpiece of the event was the presentation of the CG Foundation’s first scholarship, which Trane Clarksville donated $1,000 toward. The scholarship was awarded Garrett’s now 17-year-old daughter, Amyah.
“She did really well in school, and I just had to reward her and honor her for her dad,” Gray said. “He adored her during the time he did get to share with her.”
Mikka Pace, Amyah’s mother, told Clarksville Now that her daughter intends to go to a local technical college to become a phlebotomist.
The future vision
In addition to continuing the scholarship program, Gray wants to get youth who might be living below the poverty line involved in the events to build a better sense of community.
“Building that form of community for the youth is a really effective way to decrease violence in our neighborhoods, and keeps them from turning to something else,” Gray said. “I’m not trying to speak badly on (impoverished communities) because I’ve been there, but that’s where a lot of the violence is coming from.”
She hopes to organize a back-to-school bash for youth, similar to the event hosted in May, with water ballon fights, basketball tournaments, talent shows and tug-of-war.
“That’s the audience that I want the most because I was once young, I have young kids and some of the route they’re taking, that’s not the only way. But some of them don’t feel like there is a way out, when there is,” Gray said.
Part 2 in a series on gun violence in Clarksville.