SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Anita Razo is mourning the loss of her son, Giovanni Pizano. Giovanni, also called DJ Gio, died last year at the age of 31. Police say he was shot and killed , near his home, on Amelia Earhart Avenue in North Natomas.
"It's a neighborhood that he moved us to because he said, mom we're going to be safer here," Razo said. "Not knowing that that's where he was going to go to die."
At 11 years old, Gio dreamed of becoming a successful DJ. And, he realized that dream. Years later, he began playing at concerts and venues in front of tens of thousands of people.
"One of the things that Gio wanted to do, and that he believed, was that becoming a DJ is what kept him off the streets," Razo said. "And, he wanted to do the same for other kids."
Razo started the DJ Gio Foundation. She says the goal is to help keep her son's legacy alive and end gun violence, especially for youth.
"We hope to make an impact and take some of these kids that are willing to explore their artistic and musical abilities, so we can keep kids away from the gun violence," Razo said.
Gun violence disproportionately affects communities of color in the U.S. Research from Everytown shows Black people are 12 times more likely than white people to die by gun homicide. Hispanic people are twice as likely to be killed.
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"Part of the reasons why communities of color tend to be the ones most affected by gun violence, especially when you talk about Black communities and Latino communities, is because of residential concentration and poverty, as well as racial segregation," said Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of public policy at UC Riverside. "Communities of color, especially Black communities, tend to have the highest level of support for gun control. That's because of the impact of gun violence within their communities."
On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed new laws to reduce gun violence and pay for more security at public schools and violence prevention programs. But Razo says more needs to be done to tackle the problem.
"I want it to stop," Razo said. "I'm one of those parents that say enough is enough. But it takes more than just laws and signing bills. I'm in support of stopping the violence all together, but in order for us to stop the violence, everyone must be a participant."
Police arrested and charged 22-year-old Nigel Robinson with murder in connection to the deadly shooting in June of last year. He remains in the Sacramento County jail without bail.
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