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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGVPC Minutes 03.19.24Gun Violence Prevention Commission Minutes Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Williamson Road Branch Library • 3837 Williamson Road Joe Cobb, chair, called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Roll Call Commissioners Present: Joe Cobb, Kathy Cohen, Tim Harvey, Amy Hodge, Catherine Koebel, Elliott Major, Shakira Williams City Staff: Angela O’Brien, Laura Carini, Christopher Roberts Roanoke Police Department: Scott Booth, Lloyd Merchant, Susanna Camp Other: Emma Hardwood, Anita James Price, Coleman Adams, Emma Coleman, Frank Rogers, Leon Vinci, Amber Lowery, Jeffrey Powell, Heather Gunn, Valarie Koeppel, Dominique Cordon, Jared Rose, Bruce Bryan, Mike Bento, Linda Henschel, Marvin Fields The minutes of the February 20, 2024 meeting were adopted by unanimous vote. (Kathy Cohen—motion, Elliott Major—second). New Business 1. Election of Officers: Slate of officers for a one-year term beginning April 1, 2024 and concluding March 31, 2025 was approved by unanimous vote: Kathy Cohen, Chair; Tim Harvey, Vice-Chair, Eric Anderson, Secretary. (Catherine Koebel—motion, Amy Hodge—second). 2. Updated By-laws for the Commission which were adopted by the Roanoke City Council at its March 18, 2024 meeting were approved by unanimous vote. (Kathy Cohen—motion, Catherine Koebel—second). Community Stakeholder Updates 1. Lock in Safety; Unlock Hope. a. Angela O’Brien and Susanna Camp provided updates on the Lock in Safety; Unlock Hope gun lock distribution program, including discussion of the two videos which have been produced to date, with plans to develop more in the future. b. Tim Harvey requested that future videos include simple statistics related to injuries and death made possible by access to unsecured firearms in the home. The fact-based information would serve as motivations for using a gun lock. c. The Research and Education Committee made the following three-part motion related to this program. The motion passed unanimously (Kathy Cohen—motion, Shakira Williams—second). i. Run social media ads with Lock in Safety; Unlock Hope videos. Use What’s Good Roanoke? communications budget and What’s Good Roanoke Facebook and Instagram pages. ii. Request that all current grant recipient organizations include gun lock distribution information and education in their events and plans. iii. Request that Roanoke City Public Schools create new communication guidelines on the importance of securing firearms with gun locks as a means of reducing the risks of homicide, suicide, and school shootings, following the current Biden administration guidelines on the safe storage of firearms; and to include this information as part of communications about school and student safety. 2. What’s Good, Roanoke? campaign update. a. Goals of the campaign are to educate/connect the community to resources that exist to reduce gun violence. b. Mike Bento reports 11,000+ web visits to date. Programs page most heavily visited; Video page launching later this week. c. Core of website are the “Roanoke Stories.” d. Discussion on communication strategies related to this program vs. a more traditional public health campaign. This campaign is designed to build trust with a community that has a great deal of mistrust toward local government. Campaign strategies: shining a light on the bright spots. e. Budget figures for extending the campaign will be forthcoming. 3. Affirming our City a. Chris Roberts provided an update on this program which includes emphasis on the Royalty Affirmation, written by Fletcher Nichols and approved by Roanoke City Council as the official affirmation of Roanoke City. b. Citizens invited to affirm the pledge and describe a time of life when they were at a crossroads; plan to release four videos every two months on social media. 4. Working Group reports. a. Education and Research: Upcoming emphasis on crime reduction through environmental design. b. Community and Neighborhood Engagement: with the transition of new commissioners coming onboard, this group will be reorganized. c. Grants and Fund Development: first meeting is upcoming. 5. Roanoke Police Department Community Engagement a. RPD is working to refine the data it provides the Commission to be more user- friendly and relevant to the commission. b. Homicide and Aggravated Assault incidents are lower YTD in 2024. c. Improve communication with community is a current significant priority, including sharing relevant information with the community more quickly. d. Spring Break Week: Designed in response to community concerns that there are not enough programs for youth, which leads to gang involvement. This project is a collaboration of the City Manager’s Office and RPD. Some advertising has been done via social media. Direct connections were made via SRO’s handing information to students they felt were most at-risk. Program capacity in this first year is approximately 50 students. e. Current priorities for Chief Booth: Barbershop talks; Chief’s neighborhood walks. 6. RESET a. Lloyd Merchant described multiple February deployments to areas that are both traditional hot spots of violence and the block of the recent Patton Avenue homicide. Community engagement and conversation is increasingly meaningful and productive around a range of police and community issues. b. Conversation about connecting RESET with neighborhood clergy to expand the connection to the faith community. c. Boxfit involvement. Conversation about expanding this to 21–24-year-olds, to connect with persons in age groups more likely to be involved in homicides. d. Conversation about secondary traumatization that RESET volunteers and city staff experience in their front line engagement with this work. How are we (GVPC specifically) caring for those who do the work on our behalf?. Request was made of Chris Roberts to share what he needs in terms of trauma care and support for the community and his team and report back to the next meeting. 7. Star City Safe Report a. Work in libraries in relationship with the spring break programs with RPD. 8. Youth Peace Jam a. Anita Price provided an update of this event, which is reimagined from the former “Youth Summit.” b. Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at William Fleming High School. The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.