Jacksonville, FL: At the time of this press release, 126 people have been killed this year in Jacksonville. Over 80% of the victims are African American. Around half of them will never live to see their 30th birthday. This is a horrific tragedy for our community.
In cities like Boston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Miami, law enforcement and community partners have worked together to significantly reduce the number of homicides. Some of these cities have seen as many as 30-50% reduction in homicides by using an approach called Group Violence Intervention (GVI).[i] The approach works by bringing together local and federal law enforcement, city government, social services, non-profits and community leaders to deliver a clear message to groups and gangs – the shooting must stop. Law enforcement can bring federal prison sentences to bear for those who continue to shoot, while agencies can offer help and services for those who are willing to stop violence.
While the Group Violence Intervention approach was introduced to Jacksonville as far back as 2016, a lack of key community partnerships has caused the program to falter. ICARE leaders are calling on Jacksonville’s Sheriff to contract with the National Network for Safe Communities to bring them back to Jacksonville. This would provide professional assessment of our community’s program and help improve our approach.
At the Community Problems Assembly on October 30, ICARE leaders will gather to call for these changes. We will also celebrate the Mayor’s Office and City of Jacksonville for publishing a citywide flood vulnerability assessment and welcome trauma surgeon Dr. Brian Yorkgitis from UF Health to speak about the impact of gun violence.
WHAT: ICARE 2023 Community Problems Assembly
WHEN: Monday, October 30 at 7:00PM
WHERE: Christ the King Catholic Church (742 Arlington Rd N, Jacksonville FL 32211)
[i] [i] Braga et al. (2001): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elin-Waring-2/publication/238302127_Problem-Oriented_Policing_Deterrence_and_Youth_Violence_An_Evaluation_of_Boston%27s_Operation_Ceasefire/links/548fd64f0cf214269f264020/Problem-Oriented-Policing-Deterrence-and-Youth-Violence-An-Evaluation-of-Bostons-Operation-Ceasefire.pdf
[i] Braga et al. (2006): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1098611104264497?journalCode=pqxa
[i] Engel et al. (2013): https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/reducing-gang-violence-using-focused-deterrence-evaluating
[i] McGarrell et al. (2006): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07418820600688818?scroll=top&needAccess=true&role=tab&aria-labelledby=full-article
Be the first to comment