WASHINGTON — It seems all too often we are reporting about violent crimes involving teenagers and young people. Many teens shot before they are even old enough to drive. What's being done about it?
After another election victory, the celebration for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser didn't last long. That's because of a crisis looming over her administration: Kids and crime.
"One thing that we know is lacking in our approach is coordination between all of our offices," Bowser said during a Wednesday press conference.
The mayor said the issue of teen gun violence is at the top of her agenda for her third term as mayor. Members of her administration met on Election Day to work to address the issue. One of those under pressure to come up with a plan is the relatively new Gun Violence Prevention Director Linda Harllee Harper.
"We're all traumatized at this point. I think that's a very real reality," Harllee Harper said. She said she's still working to figure out how to address the problem.
"The why, we're going to have to figure it out. We certainly don't have all the answers in the government. It's a complex issue," she said. "Our young people are crying out for help."
The latest DC Police data shows at least 14 kids have been shot and killed this year. Another 76 have been injured from gunshot wounds. That's a sharp increase from last year.
Harllee Harper said one aspect she and her team are examining is how the height of the pandemic may have impacted children.
"Everybody doesn't have a happy home that they can quarantine in. We had a lot of young people that were forced to go into homes that were unhealthy because that's where their families live."
One solution is getting even more violence interrupters, like Charles King, in some of the city's roughest neighborhoods.
King is now a single parent. His ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son was and killed during a drive-by shooting in D.C. at the outset of the pandemic. Instead of retaliating, King said he brought the two bickering neighborhood groups that may have killed his son's mom together, ending their conflict.
"Not only did I stop two communities from feuding. I also got two young men to make damn good money today, excuse my language," King said. "They've been employed for two years."
King said a lot of the violence playing out is because of what we don't see, what's happening at home.
"There could be a parent there, but if the parent doesn't know how to be a parent, the kid and the parent could be learning how to navigate life together," King said.
Critics have questioned the need for more violence interrupters, saying the mayor should put that money elsewhere, like programs for children. King disagrees. He thinks the violence we are seeing now could be a lot worse without the violence interrupter program.
Meanwhile, Harllee Harper's nearly-2-year-old office is finalizing a new plan for the city to solve the problem, which will be released soon. To complete the plan, Harllee Harper is looking for community input. Visit this link to share your ideas.