Gainesville and Alachua County are in an "unprecedented" time of gun violence against its youngest community members, City Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker told a LWVAC committee last month.
Duncan-Walker, who says the issue often makes her lose sleep, urged members of the League's Gun Violence Prevention Committee to get involved with a community-wide task force that will attempt to tackle the problem at its roots.
A recording of the meeting is now available. Want to get involved with the League's efforts? info [at] lwv-alachua.org (Contact committee chair Gwendolyn Saffo).
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During the committee's Listen and Learn meeting, held via Zoom the evening of Feb. 20, the district 1 commissioner thanked the League for already being involved in the effort.
"I'm grateful to know the League of Women Voters is already on the front end in terms of addressing this issue," Duncan-Walker said. "Your work is already making an impact."
She said the Gainesville city manager's office has funding for a gun violence prevention coordinator position, but it is time-limited and the funds will be gone by 2026.
Duncan-Walker said many in the community aren't aware that there are gang members in the city and Alachua County, and that there are "serious, serious territorial issues between the east and west."
She emphasized that the community's efforts must bring the people most affected to the table. And she said after many talks with community members affected by guns and violence,
young people answered her question "What do you need to keep a gun out of your hand?" with the following: "Places to go. Things to do. Mentors. And we need jobs."
Other root causes she said must be tackled include access to affordable, safe housing, quality education and access to health care.
"All of those are at the core of why much of this gun violence is happening," she said.
