Tackling gun violence in Detroit: preventing disabilities and making everyone safer

Gun violence is usually covered in terms of deaths and numbers of mass shootings. The survivors of gun violence often become part of the disability community -  when a victim is not killed by an AK-15, for instance, his or her survival, often with grave injuries, may lead eventually to lifelong disabilities and trauma-induced mental distress. The prevention of gun violence should be a concern of disability advocates. 

The Washington Post published an article last November, “Terror on Repeat: A rare look at the devastation caused by AR-15 shootings” by Silvia Foster-Frau, N. Kirkpatrick, and Arelis R. Hernandez, 11/16/23. The article is disturbing and nauseating in its description of what happens to bodies, classrooms, movie theaters, music festivals, and places of worship after a mass shooting event with this popular military style weapon. It is enough to make one re-consider the extent to which the 2nd amendment applies to the "right" to own weapons of mass destruction. If you are already convinced that there are limits to 2nd amendment rights, feel free to skip this article.

There is some good news and progress to report in Detroit where there has been a concerted and coordinated effort to reduce the number of homicides in the city:

“Detroit is close to recording its fewest homicides in nearly 60 years” by Andrea May Sahouri, 12/4/23.

According to the article, “As of Nov. 30, the city had recorded 228 homicides this year, an 18% drop compared to the 276 homicides during the same time last year. In 2018, Detroit recorded 261 homicides, the city's fewest since 1966, a year prior to the Detroit riot in 1967.” Also of note is that the population of Detroit has fallen from 1.58 million people in 1966 to an estimated 620,376 in 2022, but the downward trend in homicides is nevertheless good news for the citizens of Detroit.

A coordinated effort led by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans targeted seven key areas: “Reducing felony gun case backlogs in Wayne County Circuit and 36th District courts; increasing staffing for the Wayne County Prosecutor's and Sheriff's offices, as well as the Detroit Police Department; increasing coordination between the Wayne County prosecutor and DPD on shooting and homicide cases; increasing accountability for defendants released on tether to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office; increasing accountability from the Michigan Department of Corrections for those on probation and parole; and the implementation of the FAST unit, a joint fugitive apprehension unit of DPD and the Sheriff's Office, which apprehended nearly 1,000 individuals with outstanding felony warrants this year, prioritizing those wanted for gun crimes.”

The emphasis on reducing gun violence appears to be key to the success of this effort. Another key factor was in reducing the backlog of gun cases pending in the courts: “Felony gun cases pending trial in Wayne County Circuit Court have decreased from 4,000 in January 2022 to 1,330 in November 23, a 67% reduction, according to the coalition.”

When others have nothing but discouraging words for solving our gun violence epidemic, Kym Worthy, the Wayne County prosecutor is hopeful:  “This collaboration is unique in that issues are identified, solutions discussed, and these solutions are implemented. It is not just talk, talk, talk.”