Preventing Gun Violence through Relocation
The Joint Committee on Public Safety and the Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention met during a public hearing to discuss relocation and fund allocation.
By Jocelyn Hockaday
Above is the most recent crime report of 2022. Homicides are down 8% this year, compared to 2021 rates, according to the Philadelphia Police Department. | Data from The Philadelphia Police Department
The Joint Committee on Public Safety and the Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention met virtually on November 22, 2022 to discuss the relocation of victims who are seen as targets of deadly violence. Additionally, the two committees are determining how the $500,000 appropriated for their relocation should be utilized.
Curtis Jones Jr., a current Council member of the 4th District of Pennsylvania began the council meeting with words of gratitude towards the attendee’s and the importance of this public discussion-based hearing.
“I want everybody to know that whether it’s member Johnson or member Oh and other members of this committee, this is a vital issue to the justice system, to our constituents, and to prevent more gun violence,” said Jones.
The attendee’s and council members are looking at how the funds were appropriated and how they were spent. Additionally, they reviewed the topic of relocating witnesses for trial, which would decrease funds being spent on schools and other sources.
The public attendees testified that the main solution to gun violence prevention is properly allocating the government funds.
“At the end of the day, we need to make sure people feel safe when they do participate coming forward”, said Kenyatta Johnson, council member of the 2nd District of Pennsylvania.
One of the main points made during the meeting was if these government funds are allocated properly, they can be used for relocation of witnesses for their safety and protection. However, citizens and members are unsure of where the funds are going.
In a previous case summarized by David Oh, a City Council At-Large member, $500,000 was provided by the government in order to relocate a witness and their family while a case was open, in order to protect the family from the on-going harassment they were receiving by citizens in the area.
“This family was relocated to a different neighborhood, however, they were located back to their same neighborhood after 6-months”, said Oh. “The violence and harassment continued, resulting in the witness's death and the mother’s incarceration, due to her trying to protect herself and her family.”
A new case has been opened, similar to the one described previously, with another $500,000 being provided by the government for relocation of witnesses.
“I want to understand what happens to the $500,000”, said Oh. “The new funds are being appropriated for this purpose when the work has not been done.”
Out of the total 2,121 cases taken by the Philadelphia Police Department, there are currently 1,845 cases open, leaving the remaining 276 cases closed, according to their website.
“Witness relocation safely increases our closure rate on open cases”, said Jones.
Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight is the director of Mothers in Charge, Inc., an organization that started in 2003. This organization “advocates for families affected by violence and provides counseling and grief support services for families when a loved one has been murdered”, according to their website.
Dr. Johnson-Speight provides her point-of-view of the effects of the violence, and the effects of witnesses not coming forward when needed for a case to advance.
“We serve families who are often afraid after they have had to bury their son or daughter because they were murdered”, said Johnson-Speight. “Oftentimes the families come to us and say that the investigation can't go any further because we have no witnesses, or they need two witnesses, or they can't do anything for them because no witnesses will come forward because they are scared.
The joint councils and citizens continue to search conscientiously for answers regarding government fund allocation and the solution to getting relocation running smoothly.
In the meantime, council members remain diligent and patient during the search for the answers to their questions, whilst focusing on one case at a time.
“We need to protect the people in our community”, said Oh. “But this is something new and we need to protect these people in particular until we can get our arms around this problem through our police and district attorney and other folks.
