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John,
Did you catch Meet the Press on Sunday? My Campaign Chair, Chair of Pathology at Howard University and dear friend Doctor Roger Mitchell joined Chuck Todd to discuss using a public health approach to public safety. 90% of 911 calls are the result of domestic disturbances or involve individuals struggling with mental health illness and experiencing homelessness. That places a significant burden on law enforcement officers who are responding on a daily basis to both violent and non-violent crimes across the city. I was proud to work with Doctor Mitchell to create the groundbreaking Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act. The NEAR Act uses data-driven policies to address crime in a long-term, sustainable way, including through cognitive and family-based therapy, evidence-based mentorship and workforce development, and violence interrupters. The NEAR Act remains one of the most comprehensive public safety and police reform laws passed anywhere in the nation. However, one vital component has not been implemented: to develop and implement a comprehensive public health strategy to combat the spread of violence in DC. When elected, I will work to ensure the program is faithfully implemented. We also need to address the rise of traffic-related violence. The current implementation of DC’s Vision-Zero plan has not worked well towards reaching our goal of zero fatalities or traffic injuries in our transit system, which we see too often today. Creating an inclusive infrastructure to curb this violence and reach Vision Zero must be a priority. If re-elected as an At-Large Councilmember, I will continue to advocate for policies that immediately respond to crime by holding perpetrators accountable and addressing the root causes of crime. I will ensure that we are getting closer to reaching the goals of Vision Zero. Above all, I want to flood communities that see a disproportionate amount of crime with resources and opportunities. Finally, we must ensure our returning citizens receive housing and professional opportunities that help prevent their return to the criminal justice system. The simple truth is that we will not be able to police our way out of the current spike in crime. Law enforcement and our judicial system play a critical role in holding individuals accountable, but we need an all-hands-on-deck approach. I am running to ensure that the District of Columbia is exhausting all methods and resources to improve public safety across the city. In Service, Kenyan McDuffie for At Large |
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