The Trauma Beat - #6 - Shauna Brown

The Trauma Beat

Shauna Brown was the first person on scene after losing her son, Demal, to gun violence outside their home. It was July 23, 2017, and in the days that followed, she and her family members felt like prisoners in their own home, not even able to go outside to have a moment in the spot where Demal died because the media was gathered.

Shauna speaks with host Tamara Cherry about how cognizant she was from the very early days of how the narrative of her son’s homicide could play out in the media. She didn’t want him to be remembered simply as another young Black man murdered in a high-priority neighbourhood. She also didn’t want the focus of stories to be on his past run-ins with the law, or the fact that he was “known to police.” Shauna speaks about the harm that comes from this common narrative.

Shauna also speaks about the importance of notifying Demal’s young daughter of his death before investigators released his name publicly, and shares valuable advice for journalists about their responsibility to take care of survivors not only during interviews, but during and after the storytelling process as well. She shares the story of one interview she granted a journalist, during which she shared personal details and pictures of her son, only to be told the story would not run.

Also discussed is the impact of media coverage of other homicides. “It brings me right back to that place,” she says. “Lack of motivation, lack of energy, just that hopeless feeling physically. There’s also that, just the anxiety, the tension, the lack of sleep…and the list goes on.”

This conversation was recorded in March 2022.

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