Resolution Supporting Community-Driven Safety Solutions
Adopted at the 90th Annual Meeting in 2022
WHEREAS, gun violence in our nation's cities and urban areas has devastated families and communities; and
WHEREAS, the effects of gun violence extend beyond victims and their families, as communities affected by gun violence face extended recovery efforts; and
WHEREAS, drivers of violence can be hyper-local and dependent on dynamics and environmental factors of specific neighborhoods, blocks, and corners; and
WHEREAS, community-driven, non-policing strategies, such as strengthening anti-violence norms, improving the physical environment, engaging youth, and mitigating economic drivers of violence, have been shown to decrease violence while building community resilience; and
WHEREAS, communities themselves are best-placed to understand the factors and dynamics affecting violence and resilience in their neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, communities themselves are also well-placed to identify and develop innovative, low-cost solutions to safety issues in their neighborhoods,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors expresses its full support of programming to engage communities to identify what they need to improve safety in their neighborhoods, and bring funding and evidence-based practices to bear in implementing those solutions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that non-policing community-driven safety solutions and policing solutions together will have the greatest impact on reducing gun violence in our nation's cities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges Congress to advance legislation to help local communities implement non-policing, community-driven safety solutions such as the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets Act (H.R. 1914) and the People's Response Act (H.R. 4194).