Baltimore City Leaders Address Violent Crime In City, Town Hall Meetings Thursday
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore City continues to see a spike in violent crime.
Three men were killed overnight in separate shootings, bringing the total number of murder victims to 237. That's 38 more compared to this time last year.
A City and Town Hall meeting was held Thursday. Both meetings discussed strategies to break the cycle of violence in Baltimore.
City Councilman Zeke Cohen introduced a bill before the Health Committee. It's called the Baltimore Trauma Responsive Care Act.
"Instead of thinking that we can punish our way out of all our problems, how do we prevent violence before it occurs"? Cohen said.
Its policy is to ensure that staff working with young people and their families become aware of the impacts of trauma and how to respond.
Related Coverage:
- 3 Men Killed In Baltimore Shootings Overnight
- 'Together We Are Stronger' | Organized Crime Strike Force Created To Address Violence In Baltimore Area
In that same vein, Council President Brandon Scott spoke to a room full of people at his last Town Hall meeting where he advocated for legislation to deter gun trafficking in the city.
"What we're dealing with on the streets of Baltimore today is a result of going more than two and a half years without a crime plan from our former mayor," Scott said. "One of the very things in my plan is that we are going to demand through legislation that never again will Baltimore go through that."
This week, state, federal and local law enforcement announced the creation of the Baltimore Federal Strike Force. The effort will combine 18 organizations to target violent gangs and drug trafficking organizations.
Omar McDonald was at the meeting. He asked questions as a concerned parent.
"I got to raise a child down there, so I just want to make sure he got a nice place to grow up," McDonald said.
The Police Officers' Commission said that it will be coming out with its own safety plan within the next month.
