TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — How do you reduce street violence? The City of Tucson says it has worked out some strategies that help Cities around the country are working on the same problems—and some of them joined in a Tucson conference today.
There’s naturally a lot of concern about street violence. The City of Tucson says it is actually making good progress in reducing violence, particularly violence among young people. But there’s also a conference now where people from elsewhere in the country are sharing what they know.
In less than a week, near Golf Links and Kolb we’ve seen a road rage shooting which wounded two teenaged girls.
Two days later a shooting near the same intersection left a 13 year old dead and two others wounded.
Stories like those will still get the headlines but Mayor Regina Romero is working to call attention to violence that did not happen because of work by the City of Tucson and a wide range of agencies.
“All of the investments that we are doing as a city, with the help of the federal government and nonprofit partners, we're seeing tangible results, 14% reduction in homicides in certain areas, 85% reduction in gun violence. We are seeing a much more engaged community. And you know, these efforts take time, but there's very quick tangible results immediately.”
Goodwill funds and coordinates violence prevention programs. This conference brought in violence prevention workers to share how they drove down violence in their cities.
Lisa Teyechea of Pima Prevention Partnership says sometimes the young people they try to reach are frightened by a brush with trouble. Others may have already been through the juvenile justice system and come out hardened and careless.
“And they don't care about the consequences. They don't care, you know, really about how they're living their life and the choices that they've made.”
Ray Figueroa says he works with ten to fourteen young people at a time, working to help them break through anger and resolve conflicts peacefully.
KGUN reporter Craig Smith asked: “How do you know you've made some progress?”
Ray Figueroa: ”I think you see it slowly and then in their responses, in the way you see their interaction with you. And when you speak with parents, siblings, Nanas or Tatas, they thank you, and they say, ‘You know what, I'm seeing a different young person.’”
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
