City and County Commissions vote to partner on Gun Violence Task Force; Duncan-Walker suggests a new “Office of Neighborhood Safety”
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At their August 28 joint meeting, the Alachua County Commission and Gainesville City Commission voted to partner on a community-based Gun Violence Task Force, and City Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker proposed a new “Office of Neighborhood Safety.”
Proposals from the Gun Violence Summit
Yvette Carter, who works in the Gainesville City Manager’s Office, gave a presentation about the Gun Violence Summit that was held in early August and said three proposals were officially supported: a Gainesville/Alachua County Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, which would be a collaboration of City and County departments, law enforcement, the public health community, educational institutions, and community-based providers; an alternative proposal for a group with membership not appointed by the City or County Commission but selected by staff from stakeholder organizations to provide recommendations; the third was a Gainesville/Alachua County Gun Violence Prevention Alliance, a consortium of local partners working to develop strategies aimed at stemming the proliferation of gun violence, with Santa Fe College as a suggested lead organization.
City Commissioners leave for Hurricane Idalia press conference
After Carter spoke, Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward left to hold a press conference on Hurricane Idalia preparations, and City Commissioners Cynthia Chestnut, Ed Book, and Casey Willits also said they would be leaving to attend the press conference. Alachua County Commission Chair Anna Prizzia pointed out that the City Commission would no longer have a quorum, so the meeting would need to adjourn–with a large number of people in the audience for the gun violence prevention discussion.
Prizzia asked, “Not to question you, but is there a reason why all the commissioners need to leave the meeting for the press conference? Is there a possibility that one of you could stay so that we have a quorum?” Commissioner Ed Book offered to stay so Chestnut could go, and Willits also offered to stay; Commissioner Reina Saco was attending remotely and did not count toward the physical quorum for the meeting. Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut left.
Wheeler: “No stronger coalition than Bibles and badges”
County Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler said that as a former middle-school teacher, “a middle-schooler… will communicate with you if you build a relationship, and I see the police force here being represented, I see our ministers represented here. I’m telling you guys, there’s no stronger coalition than Bibles and badges… If you all will step up and take the leadership here, this is where you’re most needed.”
Children’s Trust programs
Marsha Kiner, Executive Director of the Children’s Trust of Alachua County, said the organization has added more funding for programs that can address gun violence, including $5.4 million to continue summer camps, after-school programs, tutoring, and Teens Work Alachua; and $1 million to create and support Youth Advisory Councils, additional access to sports, and a Youth Safety Task Force; and a $500,000 mentoring Request for Proposals. She said the Children’s Trust has also provided $50,000 to community organizations that host gun violence and youth events and $400,000 for mini-grants to provide training to various organizations that work with youth. Kiner said 220 youth participated in Teen Works over the summer, and Children’s Trust is working on doing something this fall for another 200 youth.
Prizzia said literacy is “at the core” of the issue and that fewer students can read now than three years ago: “And so I hope that as we work on this literacy plan that we’ve talked about in various meetings, we’ll find a unified voice so that we can serve our children.”
“We mean business with this”
City Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker reminded everyone that she had made a four-part motion in February. The first part was to declare gun violence as a public health crisis, and the City Commission did that. The second part was to ask the County Commission to declare gun violence as a public health crisis, and they’ve done that. The third part was to “advance and lay a foundation for convening a Gun Violence Task Force, and that is what I’m here to talk to you about today.”
Duncan-Walker said she wanted to hear from others about their take on what a task force would look like. Willits added, “The goal is to have some form of a task force… We mean business with this; we want a task force at the end of this.”
County Commissioner Mary Alford agreed that “we need to walk away with a task force today.” She added that it is “critical” to “include the impacted individuals in some way, including the youth”; that literacy is important; and that they should help parents “gain at least the amount of literacy to be able to read the back of the Tylenol bottle and their children’s report cards… because kids aren’t going to read if their parents don’t read as quickly.”
“If this is a priority… then let’s fund it”
County Commissioner Ken Cornell said he supported a task force, but the examples provided by Carter were mostly from “cities led by strong mayors… I continue to hear from the City, ‘We can’t do it this year.’ I don’t like hearing that. Like, if this is a priority that’s convening all the staff time, all these commissioners, then let’s fund it. Let’s make it a priority.” He said the County Commission meeting on September 5 was scheduled after the Gun Violence Summit to discuss what they could still do in the County’s FY2024 budget to address gun violence: “If this is really a priority of this community… then we’ve got to stop saying that we’re not funding it.”
Prizzia said she thought the effort should be “continuous. Task forces, to me, are things that have a beginning and an end, and I’m not sure that this issue has an end; I think that if we don’t stay on it, it just comes back to haunt us. I think it needs to be an ongoing continuous group, not necessarily a task force with a timeline that develops an action plan and then walks away and hands off the action plan and says, ‘Thanks so much.'”
“The reality is that what we’re talking about is poverty, education gaps, and lack of opportunity”
Prizzia also wanted the group to “start talking about root causes… The reality is that what we’re talking about is poverty, education gaps, and lack of opportunity. Yes, those families and those individuals have maybe made poor decisions, but the reality is that we have an entire system that’s been built on not providing equally and equitably those opportunities for education, for economic opportunity… Because until we address those issues, we’re just going to keep repeating the same things over and over, trying to build a solution. And the reality is, the solution is giving people the opportunity for their families to thrive and to be able to provide for themselves–their food, their basic needs, and their education and economic opportunity.” She said the effort should be “community-led… because change isn’t going to come in our systems until we change the way that we make decisions, and that’s not going to happen until we have community-driven and community-engaged decision-making processes.”
“If you put the children in leadership positions, they will lead”
Duncan-Walker said, “I always lead with the youth, always lead with the youth… We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear… It is not a game; it is all hands on deck… The children must lead… If you put the children in leadership positions, they will lead. That’s who has to be leading us here.” She said the task force is temporary, but she hopes it will lead to “infrastructure to sustain a much more lengthy effort to address gun violence… over a 10-year period.” She suggested an “Office of Neighborhood Safety,” which is something Miami-Dade County is doing with a focus on prevention, intervention, re-entry, economic investment, and community revitalization.
She continued, “I’d like to see us consider building out an actual office that would employ the experts, that would employ the community members, what would be a house for the Interruptors, the Credible Messengers, etc., etc., to continue to do this work over time… And, of course, how we fund it becomes the issue.” She said the Children’s Trust may be able to provide some of that funding.
Duncan-Walker said the questions about the task force are, “How long do they do it? Who’s around the table? Who houses it?”
First City motion
Duncan-Walker made a motion for the City Commission to convene a Citizen Safety Task Force with the idea of including an Office for Neighborhood Safety. Willits seconded the motion.
Prizzia said, “We do have non-citizen neighbors, so would it be possible to expand it to Neighborhood Safety or Safety? I just want to think about the people who are here who may be…”
Duncan-Walker interjected, “Yeah, I don’t have a problem with that. Absolutely. So that was modeling kind of after Orlando’s Citizen Safety Task Force, but I’m perfectly fine with it.”
Second City motion
Someone pointed out that Duncan-Walker couldn’t make motions because as Mayor Pro Tem, she was chairing the meeting in Ward’s absence, so Willits made a motion that the City convene a task force “in the vein of neighborhood safety… so this is community partners and stakeholders, with the intent to study an Office of Neighborhood Safety.”
City Commissioner Bryan Eastman asked Willits to clarify that the task force is still intended to be the Gun Violence Task Force, so Willits revised the motion: “It is to convene a task force around gun violence prevention with the stakeholders and the community involvement that we need from all of these organizations, and one of the potential goals for them to discuss is something like an Office of Neighborhood Safety.”
Eastman then asked for clarification on whether the intent was for the City to convene the task force, and Willits said, “‘Convene’ is still pretty open at this point.” Eastman seconded the motion.
County Communications Director Mark Sexton announced at that point that the press conference was over and the other members of the City Commission were on their way back.
First County motion
Alford made a motion that the County “work with the City to help them accomplish that,” and Cornell seconded the motion.
Public comment
During public comment, Naima Brown, Vice President for Student Affairs at Santa Fe College, said she was there to express “Santa Fe College’s commitment to working with the City and the County and the community as a convener with the gun violence issue.”
Cornell said, “God bless you,” and Prizzia and Alford joked that they wanted to clap and “break our own rules here.”
Chanae Jackson said, “The biggest thing for the youth… is the anxiety, the depression, and the trauma… A lot of our kids, it’s not that they’re not excelling because they don’t want to; they’re dealing with the fear that they might actually be gunned down–or a friend gunned down in front of them–because many of them are having nightmares. Many of them don’t have mental health services because we don’t have enough black providers.” She said a “rubric” needed to be developed “by the people that are most directly impacted” before a task force is formed.
Jackson’s son read an Open Letter regarding the “Common Purpose Initiative,” which asked that the community be included in developing the scope and criteria for membership in the task force and that the focus be on “youth development,” not “violence prevention.” The letter asks for funding for several initiatives, adding that the City and County should “prioritize Black led organizations.” The letter concludes, “Your inaction in including the community in a meaningful way as solutions are developed is no longer acceptable. We will no longer sit in silence. We are watching and holding you all capable of sharing power, being creative and open-minded, and prioritizing resources for these initiatives.” The letter has over 200 signatures.
Jo Beaty said she was concerned that the second part of the motion directed the task force to consider the new Office of Neighborhood Safety; she said, “You shouldn’t have some predetermined end to it.”
Third City motion
Following public comment, Book said he didn’t favor the term “task force,” but he did favor having “a structure where we can get all the partners on board… [and] when the partners report, we’ll know what our gaps are… When we identify the gaps, we’ll know the next piece.”
Eastman said he was “nervous about the term ‘convene’ in this” and suggested changing the motion to “set up a gun violence task force” instead of “convene.” He added, “And with a goal to review an Office of Neighborhood Safety as a solution as just one of many goals… I didn’t want to give any direction to staff that we are asking them to convene this and that we are going forward with this… as the intent of what we’re doing here.”
Willits agreed to make those changes to his motion because “we are saying we are going to start bringing people together, whether the long-term convener and home of this is Santa Fe College” and “I think it’s clear that an Office of Neighborhood Safety is just one thing that they may come back with.”
Prizzia said it wasn’t clear whether the motion had changed, so Eastman said, “The motion I made is ‘Move the City continue to set up a Gun Violence Task Force with community partners, with a goal to review an Office of Neighborhood Safety as a solution.'”
Willits said, “Continue is just so weak,” and Eastman said, “We are actively working with Santa Fe College–I can get rid of the word ‘continue.’ But we are already doing this thing.”
“This idea of convening seems to be kind of hindering us”
Duncan-Walker asked whether Dr. Brown from Santa Fe College was still there, but she had left. Duncan-Walker said, “I really think it’s important that we be able to hear from them what their idea is… They made a very generous offer… The City has been having conversations about not wanting to lead this, not wanting to convene this. And you all know that I had a problem with that. But if Santa Fe wants to do it, I want to hear more from them about what that means to them… I also don’t want to keep kicking this can down the road… And this idea of convening seems to be kind of hindering us, and that’s troubling to me in my spirit because I want us to move something today that is meaningful.”
City Manager Cynthia Curry said she had spoken with Santa Fe President Paul Broadie about “his interest in serving as a clearing house… He did not want to manage a task force process. He was very clear about that… But I just want to reinforce that Santa Fe, as [Dr. Brown] said today, they’re interested in that limited role.” Curry emphasized that Santa Fe College is interested in providing administrative support, including applying for grants, but “they are not interested in managing the process.”
“It sounds like we’re kind of back to square one”
Duncan-Walker said, “We have to make a decision up here. And once again, it sounds like we’re kind of back to square one and back to my original point of heartbreak and dismay with the City saying we don’t want to lead this.”
County Commissioner Chuck Chestnut said, “Why can’t the City and County lead this? Why not just be one?”
Duncan-Walker responded, “Right now, it appears that nobody’s stepping up to actually lead, and that’s a problem because we know that this has to move forward… Santa Fe is offering us some wonderful, big things that I think we should take advantage of, but we still need a leader if the City of Gainesville is not going to lead this. So I have to ask my County colleagues, just because we’re sitting up here.”
Gun violence is a county-wide issue
Prizzia said gun violence and poverty are not just an issue in Gainesville but all over the county, “And so I think we have to think broad and big and different about this.” She said that joint City/County initiatives historically have fallen apart, such as GRACE Marketplace (“and then we decided to divide our teams and take our money and go our separate ways”) and the Community Reinvestment Areas. She said she was willing “to step up and say that the County would be a part of a lead effort on this, but it’s really sad to me that the entity that brought the Summit together and does have a majority of the gun violence certainly isn’t also willing to step up… Because at the end of the day, what we’re going to be doing is putting a platform together for community to come and tell us what we’re going to do.”
Alford said maybe they need a “facilitator” instead of a leader, “and to me, it needs to be a third party that doesn’t come under the jurisdiction of either of our entities because… it should be the community’s direction. And so if Santa Fe wants to provide a facilitator, or if somebody else in the community can provide a facilitator, that’s what I want to hear.”
Second County motion passes
Cornell made a motion to “direct County staff to work with Santa Fe and hopefully the City staff to create a community-based Gun Violence Task Force and bring back recommendations for these boards to consider by November 1.” Chuck Chestnut seconded the motion. The County Commission unanimously approved the motion.
Fourth City motion passes
Eastman made a substitute motion on the City side “that City staff work with the County to partner with Santa Fe on a community-based Gun Violence Task Force.” Willits seconded the motion.
Curry told the City Commission that “in anticipation of what came out of the meeting today,” City staff had put $150,000 in their proposed budget for FY24 “for whatever relationships that may require funding.” This is the same amount that the City told the County they could not fund for GRACE Marketplace, earlier in the same meeting.
The four City Commissioners (the others had not returned) voted unanimously to approve the motion.
So much virtue-signaling jabberwocky that will only lead to more taxpayer funds going down the drain or into a “facilitator’s” pocket.There may be ways to improve the situation, but they would all be considered way too harsh for this crowd.
Spend money. Create unneeded positions. But nothing about enforcing the laws and locking up the local criminals.
So, a strong leader is needed. And none is available, let alone willing. And, if one were available and willing, they would tell him how to do the job…..
Confused. So will the City create a new Office of Neighborhood Safety? How will this be staffed, a Director, assistant director(s), support staff and clerical workers. What is the responsibility or performance measures for this new “Office.” At what cost? Maybe GRU could fund it.
The office is just smother front to brainwash urban eligible voters and gullible students to keep voting Blue. On the fantasy guns will disappear.
You are confused . GRU is currently insolvent. They have no Money for the City of Gainesville Commisioners to steal . In fact Gainesville owes GRU Ratepayers over 85 Million and that is why they were fired!
The AC BOCC and GNVCC are just plain full of hot air! Talk about gaslighting, they got it straight from Comrade Biden’s Admin! There is no intention to do anything about gun violence in North, South, West, or East Gainesville/Alachua County!
Of course, they are ready to soak taxpayers: “Let’s create a new office” (they probably already have the “new” employees names on their list)! “Oh wait, the city just so happens to have set aside the $150K they pulled back from Grace Marketplace!”
They (BOCC and GNVCC) don’t include the worthless Judicial Branch of the County/City (in their meetings) to put them on the spot for allowing criminals to go free after being apprehended, gun related or not!
Why don’t people in GNV/AC demand the criminals be locked up and the key thrown away, instead of defending them as “disadvantaged, under served, misunderstood? Nope, they want to make sure everyone forgives them for their law breaking because they are afraid of abiding by the law!
Instead of blowing smoke up each others backside: Why don’t the law abiding residents of GNV go on foot patrol with the police so THEY can talk their neighbors’ kids into NOT shooting each other? Horse crap!
My God; the City & County commissions are full of commissioners who couldn’t find their own asses- with BOTH hands!
Could it be any more obvious that they’re absolutely clueless about how to attack this problem?
Not one has thought they should ‘convene’ (since Eastman hates that word) with State Attorneys who prosecute gun crimes- maybe THEY could play an important role…
And are they even aware that GPD already has formed a task force recently that has already gotten started?? Maybe ‘convene’ with them & get their first-hand insight & input for some of the decision making?
Office of Neighborhood safety. That used to be called the police, until ultra libs found it to be very lucrative to leave criminals on the streets so that the commission can create the “office of wasted money on their close friends and family to have a government job. These people just talk and spend money. Look at the whole picture, if we actually prosecuted gun crimes in this county, the gun crimes would drop. Anyone knows even the guy who came here from marion County and shot 3 people just a couple of days after the “gun summit” that alachua county isn’t going to prosecute gun crimes. I see the commission is blaming police and Church leaders saying they need leaders. Well let’s start with the commission, they are the biggest threat to this community.
Sure, another government office to expand their power. I wonder which relatives will be hired for these positions. Who else see this?
Dam another project to waste taxpayer money. We have numerous gun laws on the books tell the sheriff and police chief to instruct law enforcement to follow the laws let them do their jobs put people in prison ask the governor to investigate the judges and DA’s will fail to hold these thug’s accountable
Bring back stop and frisk. Teach felons how to read so they know it’s against the law for them to have a gun. bring back the 10, 20, life law.
Start tearing down drug houses hire more police put them in these neighborhoods make it that they can’t deal
Urban culture was supported by and made mainstream with pop culture, making the results we see today. It converted well-meaning public housing into crime breeding farms that ruined inner cities. It involved stealing guns and shoplifting from grocers who had to flee. The DNC paid off urban churches to get with the excuses program. And hit repeat.
Until they get back with God in schools and studying the Ten Commandments, guns will be the least of their worries.
Not condoning the use of violence or excessive discipline but I believe a quality belt would be fiscally more sensible than the creation of a new “Office of Neighborhood Safety.”
Given the efficacy of City Government – probably more likely to produce the intended positive results as well.
So much criticism so few ideas.
Truth told, City spending so much money, not much to show for it.
A cure for gun violence: 1) Increased walking and bicycle patrols downtown and in other problem areas with the power to stop and frisk. 2) More police. 3) Ban on these spontaneous after hours block parties. 4) High bail and long sentences for violence.
If they can’t get the panhandling bums out of the street medians which is a public safety hazard, then they can’t do anything about this gun violence Crisis.
It’s more likely they don’t want to rather than whether they can.
It’s a conscious decision they’ve chosen to make. It falls in line with their political views and therefore maintains their control over those too ignorant to recognize it.
Not to mention, that the panhandlers violate local and state law(s). The ‘Constitutional scholars’ in the City Commission have deemed illegal begging as ‘free speech’.
Office of Neighborhood Safety and Gun Violence Task Force?
Weren’t these once commonly known as the cops?
What’s next, a Department of Very Hot Things Emitting Smoke?
WTH….More money poorly spent that the city does not have. They (we?) are broke. When will these people realize that the cow has been milked dry? A cure for gun violence: 1) Increased walking and bicycle patrols downtown and in other problem areas with the power to stop and frisk. 2) More police. 3) Ban on these spontaneous after hours block parties. 4) High bail and long sentences for violence.
And you thought Reichert House was a money pit? This will be another total waste of tax payers money. Bloated bureaucracy at both levels, another department “of doing” that the city already has.
GPD is famous for having a select group of ‘do nuthin’ employees on staff.
Don’t believe it, ask Lonnie about James Albright. BIG paycheck never, I mean never could find him although he was scheduled to be at work.
Voters, Ya’ll enjoy.
They just don’t get it.
“If this is a priority… then let’s fund it”
‘Let’s (let us) you know us lowly taxpayers….that’s who has to fund it. Fogitabout!!! We’re broke and overtaxed already.
Duncan-Walker, “Right now, it appears that nobody’s stepping up to actually lead, and that’s a problem because we know that this has to move forward…”
She needs to get out more, that’s NOT the problem. Leadership, (more like lack of), has handcuffed the resources to combat crime rather than the criminal elements creating the crime.
If you put food or money on a table you’ll have plenty of people willing to lead. If it’s food, Harvey’s biggest decision will be whether to eat dessert or meat first; if it’s money, I’m sure Saco will find her way to the table despite her recent inability to make it to work in person.
How about punishing those committing the crimes? Seems the gangs have a better feel for what works, they deal out their own brand of justice. Eventually they’ll take care of each other.
It’s all about what motivates people.
Let’s start a Go-Fund-Me to buy guns for “under-privileged” youth. The problem will get worse at first, then fix itself eventually.
More guns, more crime and homicides – numerous studies confirm this – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/guns-and-death/ – as do state stats.
Data table showing data for the United States Map figure.
death rate deaths
Mississippi 23.7 656
Louisiana 21.3 943
Alabama 15.9 748
New Mexico 15.3 306
South Carolina 13.4 656
Missouri 12.4 716
Illinois 12.3 1,487
Maryland 12.2 709
Tennessee 12.2 810
Arkansas 11.7 335
Georgia 11.4 1,206
Delaware 11.3 103
North Carolina 9.7 991
Indiana 9.6
Maybe you should consider the difference between correlation and causation. In none of the cited studies did a gun ever pick itself up and shoot anyone. Thus, guns were the cause of the initiation of the events which ultimately led to the homicide exactly 0.0% of the time.
In other news, researchers have looked at the number of ice cream containers in the freezers of American households as it relates to homicide. Holy Hannah- the more ice cream containers, the more homicides! Numerous studies confirm this.
Sick, since no one has witnessed fentanyl jumping up and injecting itself into arms, by your reasoning it’s presence in America is not a problem.
???, I guess then we don’t need to worry about people having too easy access to guns if they are black.
Guest, putting aside my unwillingness to fulfill your uncontrollable cravings, I guess we can all just stay in the woods, and problem solved.
As always, you fail to acknowledge that there is a constitutional right to possess/own firearms in this country. Drugs do not have the same constitutional protection. And, no, drugs themselves are not a problem. The existence of fentanyl, by itself, poses no threat. It’s only when a human chooses to use it that harm can occur. Do you seriously not see that? Or do you just not want to admit it? 🙂
And what does someone’s skin color have to do with their access to guns? If I’m a law-abiding, black American, you’re darned right I have the right to “easy access to guns.” And no, no one else needs to worry about a law-abiding American of any color. Why would suggest otherwise? I’m more than a little surprised to see a comment like that from you. But maybe I misunderstand your intended point.
Now let’s break these stats down by race. Oh yea I forgot libtards don’t like it when people quote stats back.
Jizzman, still waiting on that city breakdown but you keep putting your political spin on it however you want.
Some of us are educated enough to see through your agenda.
Here are a few things they could do that would make a change.
1. Clean up downtown. It looks old, drab and in need of attention.
2. Close the bars by 1:00 AM.
3. End the open container policy (this might have already been done).
4. Increase patrol of the area (as well as hire some more cops)
5. Get better light in the area.
6. Prosecute the criminals to the fullest of the law.
7. Stop letting the homeless sleep on the streets and doorways down town.
Currently, GPD is short 90 some positions. Poe and Ward defunded 50 positions when it was the big Democrat thing to due. Since then, Ward is short more than 40 additional resignations.
Thatguy, you’re living in the past. The homeless population downtown is much below their numbers when Grace didn’t exist and they don’t live in the Plaza anymore. Except for a couple of late night illegal parties, shooting downtown are rare to non-existent and families and older couples frequent it’s several excellent restaurants in numbers. I know this because I go there a lot, but then I prefer the real world to shopping malls and restaurants in huge parking lots.
PS Closing has been at 2 am forever. We agree on ending open containers.
Still waiting on the stats…
Remove Mayor and Chitty Commisioners from any Law Enforcement Authority. Just like they were fired from GRU authority , do it again. And maybe other areas as well!