Reducing Gun Violence Town Hall 10/31/19
Eric Kramer & Alice Rhoades
Thanks to the news media and shows such as The Wire, we were familiar with Baltimore’s gun violence long before we made this city our home. While living here as public health students, we have come to learn that Baltimore is so much more than the violence it is known for. However, the fact remains that it has the second highest homicide rate in the nation. Attending a town hall on gun violence drove this problem home, but it also reinforced the city’s sense of community and collaboration that provides promise of finding a solution.
We arrived early and could feel the excitement in the gallery as community leaders, gun research experts, law enforcement, city council members, and Baltimore citizens came together to discuss this important issue.
The meeting started with a powerful testimony from Baltimore youth leader, Antonio Moore. He compared Baltimore neighborhoods to warzones as he played two cell phone videos where we could hear gunshots and police sirens. He then proceeded to give a strong call to action to the council and everyone in the room but lamented that he felt he was “preaching to the choir”.
As representatives from community organizations, the office of the mayor, the police department and researchers (from the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard) took to the podium to give testimony. Three themes emerged.
The first was to recognize the impact of trauma due to gun violence that has already sunk its teeth into this city. There was talk of Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) and the role that experiencing violence at a young age works to perpetuate violence. This drew attention to the need for programs and resources that support victims and families of victims. Thomas Apt of Harvard discussed policies that find balance between support and punishment, policing and programming. Joseph Richardson from SHOCK Trauma also played a powerful clip from his upcoming documentary Life After The Gunshot, which highlights the experiences of male survivors of gun violence.
The second was the need to view youth less as the problem and more as part of the solution. Speaker after speaker emphasized the importance of supporting youth programming and providing grants for youth-led efforts. James Tipson (JT), from the nonprofit Roca, underscored the need for youth to have the ability to make a mistake and recover. Antonio Moore drew attention to the work young people are already doing with limited resources.
The final theme was a call to break down silos between the sectors and address this issue holistically. This was our main take-away from this town hall. It offered a platform for like-minded individuals to discuss their work and perspectives on gun violence and allow networking across these different organizations. We saw many introductions made and several business cards exchanged.
It was inspiring to hear the voices of people working hard to address this challenge and we were reminded of the grit and sense of community that are characteristic to Charm City. As Moore mentioned, a lot of this town hall was directed at an audience that understands this issue and recognizes that work needs to be done. However, there seems to be some disconnect between gun experts and actual community members that have been directly affected by gun violence. As Antonio and a mother who lost her son to gun violence pointed out, people are perpetually dying in the streets. How can we use what we know and work with the community to stop these people from dying?
As Master of Public Health students, we were reminded that research and evidence-based programs and policies are all important but real change will not occur unless support is given alongside community members who are on the ground. More work must be done to transform these powerful conversations into policies and programs that will help reduce the impact of this problem. We must hold each other accountable and continue collaboration.
PHOTO CREDIT SANTA FE REPORTER