Reduction of Gun Violence in Atlanta
The problem of gun violence had taken a toll in the city of Atlanta. In the early and late 1990’s gun violence had become a community problem that threatened the fabric of both State and National security. Indeed, the main culprits involved in the gun violence were juveniles. In the solution of the problem, a community initiative was carried out that took a trajectory mirroring that of law enforcement initiatives. This paper essentially analyses the gun problem and the manner in which a solution was devised. In that vein, it would be noteworthy to appreciate the participation of community members of Atlanta, alongside the following organization towards seeking and implementing policies and solutions to the problem: United States Department of Justice through the project PACT (Pulling America’s Communities Together).
In the solution of the problem, critical questions that stakeholders addressed courtesy of a research that they commissioned to investigate and report on the same included: What was the measure for fear of crime among adults in Atlanta? What were the geographical patterns of gun violence? Why did Atlanta youths carry guns? How did they get guns? .
The research established that crime in general and gun violence specifically did actually take place because of blatant and frivolous disregard of the law. Laws existed only as pieces of paper embodied in parchments. The research further revealed that cases of gun violence were also as a consequence of poverty and the poor indoctrination of the law among juveniles. The overriding message that the research collected was that on the bottom-line, law enforcement was poor.
Of course, like in other instances, the identification of the problem sets the pace for implementation of solutions. A number of policies were discussed that would cumulatively address the critical issues of concern. Ultimately, it was decided that the following legal and moral policies had to be effectively implemented: reducing the demand for illegal firearms among community members especially the juveniles, reducing the use of firearms in Atlanta, reducing the illegal supply and dealership in illegal firearms and lastly, rehabilitating young offenders, otherwise, called juvenile offenders.
The process was based on the support of the entire community. It was the spirit and the intention of the crusaders that the affected communities were to be substantively involved in the process of solving the problem. It was on this premise that a community reporting and advisory system was based. Under that system, any noted cases of gun violence, firearms trade or dealership and disregard of the law in line with firearm management and use were to be brought out. Information was to be shared between community members and government.
The program dubbed Pact by the Department of Justice turned out successful. Through the program, juveniles got numerous opportunities to abandon dealing in firearms, get rehabilitation and pursue decent livelihoods. It was also this program that reduced cases of gun violence not only in the City of Atlanta and the entire state of Georgia, but also across the larger United States of America.
The case only illustrates the obvious; disregard for the law easily exposes society to ills. The law exists for a purpose and that purpose ought to be appreciated. The culture of blatant disregard of the law must be condemned, and people ought to develop a culture that appreciates the need to observe the law by the letter and the spirit.
References
Miller, L. S., Hess, K. M., & Orthmann, C. M. (2010). Community Policing:Partnerships for Problem Solving. New York: Cengage Learning.
