Chattanooga looks to curb gun violence with new program
"Roadmap to End Gun Violence in Chattanooga" will involve city, local law enforcement
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) — Mayor Tim Kelly revealed the “Roadmap to End Gun Violence in Chattanooga” program Thursday.
The new initiative will serve to curb gun violence in the community.
After the horrific mass shootings that took place earlier this summer, the program follows a model with two seemingly basic, yet crucial steps: intervention and prevention.
Chattanooga became the subject of unwanted national attention following two mass shootings that residents describe as uncharacteristic of the Scenic City.
The city says the Roadmap program “is designed to both stop the current cycle of gun violence and prevent it from returning in the long-term.”
“It’s a comprehensive approach to addressing what we see as a public health crisis,” said Dr. Mary Lambert, the city’s director of community health & safety. “It’s a wraparound with services for families, parents, individuals. [There are] programs for individuals who are out after curfew.”
Both Dr. Lambert and Chattanooga Senior Advisor for Communications Kirsten Yates say the Roadmap initiative will also “address the root causes of gun violence.”
This includes a “lack of opportunity and lack of access to resources and support,” primarily among those “in traditionally underserved neighborhoods.”
“One interesting thing the Kelly administration was involved in — they were working with youth in the community who had, at some point, either been involved or impacted by gun violence in their lives,” Yates said. “We’re working to talk to them very intensively to understand some of the issues that these youth are facing that are specific to Chattanooga.”
The city says the initiative will be a collaborative effort between Chattanooga, its residents, and local law enforcement.
Through the plan’s community engagement, Dr. Lambert hopes to see her home finally be at peace.
“This is my hometown,” Lambert said. “I was born and raised here. This is a beautiful city and it should be and will be the safest and healthiest, emotionally and physically, city in the country. That’s what we’d like to see.”
Dr. Lambert says many have already reached out to the city to volunteer their services.
Aside from intervention specialists working in local schools, some have offered to provide mental health services for the program in the city’s community centers.
She says this is a win for many residents, who may soon gain these services closer to home.
