Guest Column: Violent crimes in Jacksonville continue to spike in areas left behind

COVID-19 has caused us not only to lose loved ones to the virus but to violence as well. Throughout the nation and in Jacksonville in particular, we’ve seen the tragedies replay on an almost daily basis. Violent crime – particularly homicides and assaults – has disproportionately spiked in areas that are often left behind by the criminal justice system, bringing so much pain to families across our city. 

We know that pain firsthand.  We have lost loved ones -- one of us lost a son to violence and felt the loss every day since.  We’ve chosen to use that loss for a singular purpose – to help families like us grieve and feel supported during difficult times. 

Families of Slain Children, Inc. was founded in memory of Andre Johnson, who was murdered in 2006. There, hundreds of family members who have lost loved ones to crime and violence have received grief support and trauma recovery services, something that many of us lacked when we grieved the loss of our family. Almost daily, crime survivors visit the Wall of Compassion, which includes the names of 3000 victims murdered over the past 15 years. 

To further support survivors and families in their healing, the national anticrime group MAD DADS (Men Against Destruction-Defending Against Drugs and Social-Disorder) and its Jacksonville Chapter has fought to curb violence in the community by bringing recognition to cases that have gone cold, or regularly holding neighborhood walks shortly after a crime has happened to raise awareness. Through the lenses of our work, we see the devastation caused by violent crime day after day and week after week.  

But we have an opportunity to curb the violence and save lives. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) has allocated $163.8 million to Jacksonville for pandemic-related state and local fiscal recovery, including programs addressing the recent increase in violence. According to guidance from the Treasury Department, ARP funds can and should be used for violence prevention, trauma recovery, and victim services. This month, it was announced that MAD DADS and Families of Slain Children. Inc. would each receive $50,000 in ARP funds to help support our work. While this is a great first step, we hope that city officials will continue to allocate funding and support families as we seek greater safety for all. 

To effectively reduce the violence that stems from the pandemic, organizations like ours who are committed to keeping our streets safe and supporting those who have been victimized by violence came together to ask that 5 percent of Jacksonville's ARP funds - roughly $8 million - be invested in proven community-based violence prevention programs that will further support victims and end cycles of violence. Funding these programs at the community level will not only improve public safety, but it will also support job creation and economic development in areas that have suffered from high rates of unemployment during the pandemic.  

When there is an increase in violence, there is an increase in victims that need help and support. We know that the trauma resulting from violent crime if left unaddressed, can lead to difficulty working, deep depression, addiction, and other issues that can contribute to instability and more pain for people trying to heal. That is why organizations like Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, Families of Slain Children, Inc, MAD DADs, A.B. Vinson Behavioral Consultant, Inc., Southern Women Against Gun Violence, Sports Mentor Program have urged the City Council and Mayor Curry to ensure that $8 million is set aside exclusively for reducing violence and helping victims like us. However, the longer we wait, the longer our communities will have to wait for solutions to the violence. 

The Mayor of Miami Dade County has already proposed devoting $8.9 million in ARP funds for violence prevention.  We anticipate that more Federal dollars will be made available specifically to serve crime victims and prevent violence. As other localities consider using these funds to make communities safer, Jacksonville can help lead the way in proactively addressing cycles of violence

What we want most is for what happened to us, never to happen to anyone else. We have an unprecedented chance to reduce the likelihood of someone losing their child or parent or sibling in the months and years ahead. Let’s not waste this opportunity. Let’s take action, devote more resources to violence prevention and victims' support, and save lives.  

Beverly McClain, Founder and President, Families of Slain Children and Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice Jacksonville Chapter Coordinator and Donald Foy, Founder and President, MAD DADS