President Obama and Attorney General Holder met this afternoon with a group of mayors from around the country to discuss strategies to reduce youth violence. The President reiterated that government alone can never fill the void that causes a child to turn to violence, but that we all have a responsibility to do our part to create safe communities and save lives. The President applauded the mayors for their local efforts to combat violence, solicited their input about proven methods, and pledged his Administration’s partnership. He also vowed to continue doing everything in his power to combat gun violence through executive action and to press Congress to pass common-sense reforms like expanding the background check system and cracking down on gun trafficking.

The following mayors attended the meeting:

• Mayor Greg Ballard (Indianapolis, IN)
• Mayor Tom Barrett (Milwaukee, WI)
• Mayor Cory Booker (Newark, NJ)
• Mayor Vincent Gray (Washington, DC)
• Mayor Sly James (Kansas City, MO)
• Mayor Kevin Johnson (Sacramento, CA)
• Mayor Mitch Landrieu (New Orleans, LA)
• Mayor Mark Mallory (Cincinnati, OH)
• Mayor Michael Nutter (Philadelphia, PA)
• Mayor Annise Parker (Houston, TX)
• Mayor Jean Quan (Oakland, CA)
• Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (Baltimore, MD)
• Mayor Kasim Reed (Atlanta, GA)
• Mayor RT Rybak (Minneapolis, MN)
• Mayor Francis Slay (St. Louis, MO)
• Mayor Dayne Walling (Flint, MI)
• Mayor Molly Ward (Hampton, VA)
• Mayor AC Wharton (Memphis, TN)