Thread by @rachdc7

For everyone frightened by yet another brazen shooting on 14th St NW, and ready to do something about the increase in gun violence across the city, a primer 🧵

https://twitter.com/realtimenews10/status/1418384700754829313

First, realize this nightmare plays out DAILY in some neighborhoods in DC. Not nearly as much media coverage. The ppl living in those neighborhoods deserve every bit the same peace.

Next, I know you’re thinking “but the police”. Well police are pretty good at showing up AFTER a shooting, sort of good at solving crimes (homicide closure rate is dropping), & not so great at preventing violence. Even w/
cop cars blanketing the streets, shots still get fired.

Police are 1️⃣ element of public safety, but community safety involves a whole lot more. DC has street outreach workers thru 5️⃣ programs: @ONSEDC_, OAG Cure The Streets, @DYRSDC Credible Messengers, @DCDPR Roving Leaders, & @OVSJG_DC hospital-based violence interruption

BUT the combined budgets of these 5 programs is a mere fraction of MPD’s budget. That’s why #DC @MomsDemand & others have advocated hard to increase budgets for these programs. Good news @MayorBowser @ChmnMendelson @CMCharlesAllen have proposed increases for this in city budget.

Not so great news: we have to wait for that budget to go thru final approval (including federal oversight, ahem #DCStatehood) & govt slowness before it gets rolled out starting in October.

In the meantime you can support the community orgs doing the hard work- some independently & some as govt contractors, but all w/shoestring budgets & extremely traumatizing dangerous work. Here’s a non exhaustive list:

@FatherFactorINC @naarccts @ACM_DC @CSCempowers @Yaaymedc @LIPnotRIP J&J Monitoring/@FarSECollab @TheTRIGGERProj @mommassafehaven @TheTraRonCenter @GunsDownFriday @PeaceWalksDC @THELAYC @TheWIRE_DC @ServeYourCityDC

Some of these orgs don’t do violence interruption, but they provide other critical services like healing trauma & mentoring youth. Hurt ppl hurt ppl, and we need to break that cycle.

DC needs more transformative programs like @ONSEDC_ Pathways Program so once violence is interrupted, those who’ve put down their guns can get help finding jobs, stable housing, enough food, someone to talk to, how to read, getting an ID, etc, so they won’t pick the gun back up.

Research shows that a very small % of ppl are driving the violence in a city. If you don’t understand investing in shooters, remember their next victim is worth it, and their victim’s family.

DC also needs a comprehensive, strategic plan for addressing violence, ongoing transparent analysis of data & coordination of public & private efforts. I’m hopeful that the new director of gun violence prevention who’s leading the @BBDCGOV office will help make this all happen.

Again, best way to help right now is to donate to the orgs tagged above, educate yourself on this issue: @teamtrace @Everytown @GiffordsCourage @CJACTIONFUND And help #DC @MomsDemand keep advocating to #KeepDCAlive: text READY to 644-33 to join.

It’s also important to understand that homicides in DC previously went down (to 88 in 2012!) but after that the city CUT funding for violence prevention & intervention work to ZERO and we are still playing catch up. This work must be sustained- and funded.

Lots of good articles elaborate on this topic. Here’s one: thetrace.org/2021/01/gun-vi…

Good example from DC: washingtonpost.com/local/public-s…

Understanding the trauma kids are growing up w/ washingtonpost.com/local/educatio…

Great series of articles about community safety, lots of data washingtonpost.com/opinions/inter…

Still have questions about police and courts and justice system? Follow @DC_PRC and read their report. It’s 💯💯💯