Washington, D.C. — Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie (Ward 5) has issued the following statement on gun violence of the past weekend, and a new violence intervention imitative:
“I am deeply saddened and upset by the senseless gun violence that has taken place across communities in the District over the weekend.
Here we are, merely weeks before the school year ends, and the summer begins, and we are dealing with 11 people shot and four killed including 24-year-old Anthony Clark, who was shot and killed in Langston Terrance on Memorial Day. This is outrageous, and as a native Washingtonian, husband, father, brother, friend, and Councilmember, I can no longer accept the violence that has gripped our city as an everyday fact of life.
Yesterday, I met with residents from across the city alongside Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White and other District leaders. What I heard from residents in attendance were feelings of grief, fear, hopelessness, and anger, toward what they feel is a lack of respect for the value of human life.
We must call out gun violence for what it is—every single shooting, every time it happens—and endeavor to change this devastating culture of violence.
Over the last 24 hours, I have worked with my Council colleagues and the Attorney General to identify and allocate funding for a violence intervention initiative to be implemented this summer. These additional resources will enhance current efforts such as the implementation of the NEAR Act’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.
We must use all available resources to stem the tide of senseless gun violence—the future of our city, our young people, depends on it.
Working with the community, I will continue to do everything I can to address the root causes of violence that plague communities across the District.\”
Here we are, merely weeks before the school year ends, and the summer begins, and we are dealing with 11 people shot and four killed including 24-year-old Anthony Clark, who was shot and killed in Langston Terrance on Memorial Day. This is outrageous, and as a native Washingtonian, husband, father, brother, friend, and Councilmember, I can no longer accept the violence that has gripped our city as an everyday fact of life.
Yesterday, I met with residents from across the city alongside Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White and other District leaders. What I heard from residents in attendance were feelings of grief, fear, hopelessness, and anger, toward what they feel is a lack of respect for the value of human life.
We must call out gun violence for what it is—every single shooting, every time it happens—and endeavor to change this devastating culture of violence.
Over the last 24 hours, I have worked with my Council colleagues and the Attorney General to identify and allocate funding for a violence intervention initiative to be implemented this summer. These additional resources will enhance current efforts such as the implementation of the NEAR Act’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.
We must use all available resources to stem the tide of senseless gun violence—the future of our city, our young people, depends on it.
Working with the community, I will continue to do everything I can to address the root causes of violence that plague communities across the District.\”