Local officials from government agencies and non-profits got a wide-ranging community input and a heavy dose of skepticism as they launched an anti-gun violence initiative called Together for Children with a community meeting in North Miami-Dade Monday night.
“You fund organizations that are scared of children, and then you wonder what causes the violence,” said Darryl Holsendolph, walking out of the meeting before it began in earnest. “It’s hopelessness!”
Most of the night was dedicated to small focus groups organized around a set of guiding questions.“What are the reasons you think gun violence is seen as a solution to problems by some?” Miami-Dade County Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Lisa Martinez asked the crowd at Arcola Lakes library.
Valencia Gunder is the godmother of Jada Page. Last month, Jada was shot in the head in a drive by shooting and she died two days later in the hospital. Jada was 8. Gunder, at a meeting on youth gun violence, calls shooters quick to pick up guns "cowards." #jadapade #miamidade #gunviolence #wlrn A video posted by Nadege Green (@nadegegreen) on Sep 19, 2016 at 5:04pm PDT
“Instead of them using a knife or something to go up on their man,” said Valencia Gunder, whose 8-year-old goddaughter Jada Page was killed by a stray bullet in August, “they do coward stuff and they shoot.”
Other responses ranged from pleas for better community outreach by cops on the beat to more parental involvement in schools. “If you ask most of the men in there are they a member of any PTA, 80, 85 percent will say, ‘No. What’s PTA?' " lamented PTA coordinator Sharon Frazier-Stephens.
Kyle Mohammed with The Circle of Brotherhood says one of the groups that needs to be at the table to address youth gun-violence in #MiamiDade are black men. And he says his group is doing the work, but resources are slim. #gunviolence #wlrn #blackmen A video posted by Nadege Green (@nadegegreen) on Sep 19, 2016 at 5:09pm PDT
Jenelle Penha, who oversees CityYear mentoring programs in underperforming Miami-Dade schools, hinted that schools could play a more constructive role by introducing more conflict resolution initiatives, a longstanding request by many local community groups.
“Guns are an easy option and for some they may be the only option,” said Penha. “So if guns are more readily available than conflict resolution meetings in the schools or wherever else, then you’re going to use what’s readily available.”
Carl Gray was part of a large delegation from the Circle of Brotherhood, a community group. “This is a positive direction,” he said, as he was leaving, “But see, it’s been talk for years, years, years. What we need now is action.”
It's been talk for years, years, years. What we need now is action. —Carl Gray
Many others shared similar thoughts as they walked out, citing both the desperate need to tackle gun violence and endemic poverty and the fear that this effort would fizzle out rather than spurring concrete work around the county.
There was also some wariness of the agencies—Miami-Dade County and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, among others—spearheading the Together for Children initiative. “You always come out and ask for input, and then you go ahead and implement your plan anyway,” one man complained at the end of the event “So if you’re not going to be an honest broker, then you had best go somewhere else.”
Martinez was at pains to emphasize the fact that there was “not a plan somewhere lying on the shelf,” but simply “homework” that had been done to identify schoolchildren thought to be most at-risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of gun violence. Earlier this month, Together for Children released a fact sheet identifying high-crime zip codes where vulnerable children would be “identified” and “referred to an innovative comprehensive care infrastructure,” such as anti-truancy programs, high quality pre-k and expanded referrals for family therapy.
That announcement, Martinez said, was not a plan. “It was in fact a public invitation to the community members”—the same document announced a series of three community meetings including this one—“but that got lost in the translation.”
“Call us out if we're not sincere and honest in our work,” Martinez urged the crowd. “Hold us accountable for that.”
“We will,” the man said.
More community meetings are scheduled for tonight (Tuesday) at 6 p.m. at the North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183rd St., Miami Gardens, FL 33056, and Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at the South Dade Regional Library, 10750 SW 211th St., Cutler Bay, FL 33189.