As Summer Begins, Giffords Urges Federal Support for Cities Grappling with Surges in Shootings and Strained Health Care Systems

Giffords recently led effort with 20 mayors calling on House and Senate leadership to provide emergency funding for violence interrupters and outreach workers

Washington, DC — Today, Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, warned that cities facing a strain on their resources due to the twin crises of COVID-19 and gun violence urgently need support from the federal government. This comes as Chicago faced its deadliest Memorial Day weekend for shootings in four years and cities prepare for potential surges in shootings in the summer months. 

Recently, the House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act to provide flexible funding to cities and states for community violence intervention programs, as well as to provide a lifeline to more nonprofits working to prevent violence. The Senate has yet to act, with calls coming today from Senate Democrats to respond to the threat.

Peter Ambler, Giffords Executive Director:

“While summer in America will be different this year, one thing that will not change is the suffering many of our cities face from the crisis of gun violence. The hot weather already brought heartbreak on a terrible scale this past weekend in places like Chicago and St. Louis. Thankfully, violence interrupters and street outreach workers are continuing to provide hope and services in our cities, making a crucial difference. Leaders nationwide have called for help in combating the epidemic of gun violence, and it’s time for action.”

Many cities see shootings spike in the summer. These cities are already plagued by gun violence disproportionately affecting communities of color—tragedies which happen every day and rarely make the news. In some underserved communities, homicide rates are 10 times the national average.

The start of summer this year comes as social distancing policies and stay-at-home orders are in place in states across the country. But despite these actions, gun violence has remained persistently high in cities, disproportionately impacting black and brown communities that are also among the most vulnerable to COVID-19. For example, Chicago had its most violent day of 2020 during this pandemic, with 21 people shot and seven killed. In Cincinnati, homicides are up 91% compared to this time last year. During the coronavirus pandemic, violence interrupters and outreach workers have emerged as a critical frontline public health resource, but as the pandemic depletes budgetary resources, many cities may be unable to sustain these lifesaving community-based interventions.

At the beginning of May, Giffords led a call from 20 mayors for federal aid to cities battling community gun violence during the pandemic. As the mayors wrote in a letter to congressional leaders, “Our emergency resources are dedicated to protecting public health and safety, but we do not have enough health care resources to fight both these battles. We need our health care resources to combat COVID-19, and we need specific resources to tackle gun violence and support the frontline workers and organizations who are already working to do so.”

A recent memo from Giffords Law Center highlights the dual crises facing cities across the country: the ongoing epidemic of gun violence entwined with the coronavirus pandemic, as both health crises tragicallyamplify the other’s harms.

Community gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of color. While Black and Hispanic Americans make up less than a third of the population, they account for nearly three-quarters of all gun homicide victims in the US. For too long, states have failed to invest in effective programs to address this violence and murder inequality. But recently, more states and localities are turning to intervention strategies to address the imbalance. Research and case studies have shown that through a combination of low-cost, community-oriented intervention programs and much-needed firearms policy reforms, gun violence rates in underserved communities can be dramatically reduced in as little as two years.

A report by Giffords Law Center, A Case Study in Hope: Lessons From Oakland’s Remarkable Reduction in Gun Violence, details Oakland’s successful citywide gun violence reduction strategy and why these programs are more important than ever. Since 2012, Oakland has cut its annual shootings and homicides nearly in half. In 2018, Oakland recorded its lowest number of homicides in almost two decades. This stands in direct contrast to many other major American cities that saw an increase in gun violence after 2012.