Alum’s first book offers ‘street level’ insights, solutions to gun violence

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.—  While national coverage of gun violence often zeroes in on statistics and widespread impact, journalist Josiah Bates saw something different when reporting on the issue at the community level. The Penn State alumnus found personal stories, real-world actions and, most importantly, solutions.

Bates is a 2015 broadcast journalism graduate of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. He wrote “In These Streets,” a book that reflects on his coverage of the gun violence epidemic and chronicles his journey to several U.S. cities interviewing activists, experts, perpetrators and victims. His book paints a unique picture of the violence plaguing the United States from the “street level,” with stories that aim to redefine the causes of the issue and the struggles to combat it.

“From a national perspective, it’s very difficult to understand what’s happening on the ground,” Bates said. “There’s a big difference between being in a community board meeting versus just talking to the people who were there. That shoe leather, eye-level reporting is where you see for yourself what’s happening.”

Starting out at Penn State, Bates wanted to be a sports reporter. However, current events at the time, including the murder of Trayvon Martin and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, changed that. One of Bates’ professors, Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society John Affleck, became a go-to resource while Bates went through this career change, and he continues to be a mentor today.

According to Affleck, “In These Streets” is an important book that captures both the “human stories and the impact this plague has on our society.” He said that Bates' transition from his native Brooklyn to State College, and seeing the stark culture differences between the two locations, likely impacted his decision to switch from sports to news coverage.

“I think when you’re 19, you don’t know what you don’t know in terms of what goes into certain areas like production, sports or news,” Affleck said. “I think in Josiah’s case, he saw the importance of what he could do, and based on his life and his reporting, he is in the place he needs to be.”

Affleck said that one of the most gratifying parts of being a faculty member is building relationships with students and watching them succeed after graduation. He said that being a “sounding board” is important and he’s proud to have played a part in Bates’ success.

Bates credited Affleck and other Bellisario College faculty members like Mike Poorman, lecturer and director of alumni relations in the Bellisario College, and Steve Kraycik, associate teaching professor and director of student television, for setting a path for success in journalism.

“I had some really great professors,” Bates said. “I learned so much from them. It was just a great experience.”

A few years after Bates' graduation, the chaos of COVID-19 and multiple incidents of social unrest jolted the rate of gun violence in the United States. “In These Streets” unearths a more complicated situation, which continues in many parts of the country today. Bates’ interviews reveal stories of people dealing with poverty, reacting to policy and trying to get by in unsafe communities.

He spent time in Atlanta, Baltimore, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Youngstown, Ohio. Throughout the book, Bates follows an activist who does intervention work for a violence prevention organization in Bates’ hometown of Brooklyn, New York. The man’s journey from poverty to prison to rehabilitation to community work symbolizes the spirit Bates hopes will emerge for readers when reading the book.

“The goal isn’t to fear monger,” he said. “Half of the book is about solutions. There are things we can do and apply to this situation.”

A part of that is providing context. In addition to his interviews, Bates references different points in history when gun violence surged in the United States. He compares those times to today when gun ownership is skyrocketing and much of the country is accustomed to tragedy in headlines.

“I wanted to make sure the book was focused on getting to a place where we can address these issues,” he said. “A solution in criminal justice circles is a violence interruption. It’s been getting a lot of buzz, especially the past few years.”

Bates said violence interruption works by sending credible messengers and peacemakers into the streets. These representatives get involved in the conflict and support people who don’t have access to social services. The Brooklyn activist who Bates spotlights is a “violence interrupter” who has had success since taking on the role.

“It’s definitely an example of someone who is doing it the right way,” he said. “There is some pushback from different people, but I think from the data and anecdotes I lay out in the book, interruption can be very effective if applied properly.”

“In These Streets” is Bates’ first book, and he says it came together a little earlier than he expected. With his experience reporting on the topic for TIME Magazine and the news network TheGrio, he figured he would write a book later in his career. But, it didn’t take long to see that now was the time.

“I did research to see what books had been written about gun violence and I was pretty surprised to see that there hadn't been any that were told from the community perspective,” he said. “There's a lot of good books about gun violence from the policy side, the academic side and the law enforcement side, but there really hasn't been one that just focuses on the community. ... It’s not something I thought I’d do this early in my career, but I felt that it’s an issue I’m passionate about and something very important.”