Why do you think we have so much gun violence in Tallahassee and what should we do to address it?
City Commission Seat 1
Louis Dilbert
Gun violence is not a problem just by itself. Everything has roots. We lack effective mentoring and support programs for our youth. Without this, youth can turn to violence to solve their issues. There are plenty of examples (of violence) in our media and on TV. Young people need guidance, whether it’s from parents, schools, churches, groups. Without guidance and role models, young people can turn to gangs for support. This leads to much of the gun violence we see today.
We need the City to provide hope, not disconnection. We need to work at solving problems by truly collaborating on issues, especially with those most affected. I was appointed to a City advisory committee that never met. We need to understand this is not an effective way to conduct business on any of the many advisory committees in our City. Having committees just on paper does not lead to our addressing real problems. Yes, we need to fund programs, But, as I said earlier, we need to listen to the people affected by the issue and work with them to solve the problem. An example is strong mentoring programs that can be a part of reducing youth gun violence.
Rudy Ferguson, Sr.
Too many people with limited resources, limited income, who think this is the only way to survive. When jobs go up, guns go down. That’s why attracting businesses like Amazon is so important- they have employed over 800 people who live in our poorest zip codes.
Jack Porter
Protecting the integrity of our neighborhood is foundational and there should be an alternative to violence. Nationally, Tallahassee has more gun violence than other cities of comparable size. The City has neglected its responsibility in addressing crime. We need prevention and intervention. It is really a small group of people in a few neighborhoods that are responsible for gun violence. When people are whole and happy they don’t commit crimes.
Groups such as the Capital Area Ministry have offered community-based solutions and the City has ignored and dismissed them. We need evidence-based programs that are nationally vetted. We agreed to work with the Group Violence Intervention (GVI), who has been successful in many other cities, and then we abandoned them. We were given the false choice of working with GVI or supporting the sheriff’s initiative. We need high standards of accountability for addressing gun violence. The Commission should hold the city manager accountable. For example, the Commission has not heard from the police chief regarding how gun violence is being addressed.
City Commission Seat 2
Dot Inman-Johnson
Most of our gun violence occurs in the lowest income areas of the City: the 32301, 32304, and 32310 zip codes. These are the areas where people are living in desperate poverty, and feel there is no way out except to engage in activities they think provide them with the best way to make money: the drug trade and other activities that start with low-level crime leading to high-level crime. The City constantly reminds people to lock their cars to avoid guns being stolen and use to commit crimes. Stealing from cars is not only way to get guns, in Florida we have lax laws no permits. The drug trade plays a big part with drugs and guns being traded. When someone is convicted of a crime and the returned to the community there should be properly funded re-entry programs designed to prevent recidivism. We are not working with and educating younger family members who look to their older brothers engaged in the drug trade and other criminal activities because they are the only role models they have. We need to invest in prevention and not just intervention. We need to prevent young people from falling into the crime pipeline.
Donna Nyack
Donna Nyack did not respond to ATN interview requests.
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Curtis Richardson
Well, I think if someone had the answer to that question, we wouldn’t have the problem, but unfortunately no one has the answer. What we do know is that two things contribute: We know that 53% of gun violence happens with guns stolen from unlocked cars and secondly police reports tell us that there is a lot of domestic violence and drug related incidents. On the first issue we do have public awareness campaigns, billboards, etc., to lock up weapons if still in vehicles or take inside the house. Not sure at this point how to address the second issue but we have committed one million in funding per year to gun violence intervention programs. People are reluctant to say something when they see criminal activities, like a recent Basin Street shooting, so we now have the opportunity to report anonymously. Research from FSU has helped identify effective strategies, for example, installing cameras in neighborhoods leads to 30 percent drop in crime. Also, we are beefing up our police department. No one wants property taxes to go up but this revenue is dedicated to public safety. We are getting more police officers, able to offer more competitive salaries, and are investing in technology like cameras and tag readers. Gun violence is not unique to Tallahassee – it is a state and national problem, too. We cannot police our way out of it. We are approaching solutions and heading in the right direction.
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Bernard Stevens, Jr.
County Commission
Group 1 – At Large
Carolyn Cummings
This is a big issue in Tallahassee/Leon County, and addressing it requires multiple approaches. Law enforcement, the City and County Commissions, the neighborhoods, and the faith-based community all have roles to play. For example, an awareness campaign to inform the public about the importance of locking their cars if they keep guns in them might help: many guns subsequently used in the commission of crimes turn out to have been stolen from unlocked cars. And much of the gun crime is associated with illegal drug activity (with many perpetrators coming from outside Tallahassee/Leon County). Drug prevention begins in our homes and communities, and thus we need to support our communities in their efforts to counter the illegal drug trade.
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David T Hawkins
David T. Hawkins did not respond to ATN interview requests.
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District 4
Isaac Montilla
There are many facets to this problem. Plus, there are many organizations in Tallahassee that have taken the step to create programs to help the youth and their families create viable alternatives to gun violence. So the question becomes, how do we bridge the gap between these resources and these homes?
We need to get to the heart of the issue. To me, that’s helping youth to find value in their own lives. When they don’t value their own life, they’re not going to respect the life of others. We need more mentors and peer-based groups to convince youth of their personal value and give them opportunities for success. That they are indeed someone worthy of receiving and giving respect. We need to provide them opportunities to develop their personal value through helping others, being on sports teams and other forms of recreation, religious organizations sponsored experiences, attending the Boys & Girls Clubs, doing well in school, etc. They also need to learn to manage their emotions. That emotions themselves are not bad, but how you manage them is the key. Having a strong sense of personal value helps in that regard; when you sense your own value, you are not affected as much by others provoking you, with what they may say or do, and so can keep your emotions in check. I tell kids I coach, unmanaged emotions on the field gets you a penalty; unmanaged emotions off the field takes you to prison. Think about it.
We need to recognize that this is a community problem, not just a problem for a segment of the population. We’re all not only a better community when we get everyone being more of a contributor to the community, we’re all safer as well. We all need to hold ourselves accountable, not just the youth involved, for reducing gun violence. Every day, not just after a shooting incident.
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Brian Welch
Brian Welch has not yet responded to ATN interview requests.
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