The Washington D.C. chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action released the following statement today applauding the D.C. Council for approving a 2021-2022 fiscal year city budget which includes millions of dollars in funding for crucial violence intervention programs. Mayor Muriel Browser first announced the funding proposal in May of this year, which outlined an overall planned expenditure of $193.7 million toward gun violence prevention programs over the next 4 years, utilizing money from the American Rescue Plan.
“The need for gun violence intervention in D.C. has become desperately urgent,” said Emma Hellman, a volunteer with the Washington D.C. chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Bringing the full weight of our city’s resources to bear is how we most effectively fight this ever-worsening crisis, and we are pleased to see the D.C. Council give a green light to those vital resources for effective community intervention programs today.”
Violence Intervention Program funding supports community-based violence intervention programs that apply a localized approach to reducing gun violence in the District’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. These programs apply a public health model to ending gun violence and keeping communities safe. Many community-based prevention and intervention programs in the U.S. have also adapted their strategies to inform community members about the risks of COVID-19.
More information about violence intervention and prevention funding available here. Statistics about gun violence in Washington D.C. are available here, and information on how Washington D.C.’s gun laws compare to other states overall is available here.
