Chairman Keon Hardemon , Miami City Commission Gun violence incidents are becoming a daily occurrence in Miami-Dade County and many neighborhoods throughout the United States . Unfortunately , communities like
MONDAY , AUGUST 1 , 2016 AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO MIAMI HERALD BB5
CITY OF MIAMI CHAIRMAN ’ S REPORT
Fund a Violent Crime Reduction and Prevention Program to Save Our Children
By Chairman Keon Hardemon
Overtown , Liberty City and Little Haiti are feeling the ills of this quickening epidemic more disproportionately than other communities in Miami-Dade County . These incidents of gun violence inflict paralyzing fear upon the families living amongst the heinous crimes . The suffering the communities endure also leads to an increase in health care costs , decreased property values , and a disruption in social services . Without intervention from Miami-Dade County , the State of Florida and our federal partners , our communities will continue to suffer .
In 2015 thirty-three children were killed by gunfire in Miami-Dade County , which contributed to a total number of three hundred twenty-nine children killed by gunfire over the past decade . If we include adults , by April of 2016 , seventy-four people in Miami-Dade County had been killed by gunfire . Resolving these issues will take a holistic approach . Therefore , besides the obvious efforts to arrest and prosecute those criminals who commit such atrocities , there must be an effort to remedy the victims of such crimes and their families that suffer along with them . Thus , in the spirit of leadership , Miami-Dade County should initiate a program that invests more resources into areas that are most affected by gun violence .
Recently , the Miami City Commission passed a resolution that urges the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners to place a non-binding straw ballot question on the general election ballot of November 8 , 2016 . The purpose of the question is to determine whether our citizenry would support funding a violent crime reduction and prevention program intended to service our most vulnerable communities . These communities greatly need additional monetary , social service and health care resources to ensure they are not forever traumatized by the unfortunate behavior of domestic terrorists . Without resources dedicated from Miami-Dade County , our most vulnerable communities will be hard-pressed to address their shortcomings .
Therefore , if presented with the opportunity from our county commissioners , I urge our citizenry to vote in favor of supporting a violent crime reduction and prevention program that would make a positive difference in the lives of those living in our most distressed communities . I envision a program that addresses seven major classifications : education ; youth employment ; family counseling ; arts and culture ; mental health ; youth programming ; and conflict resolution training . Moreover , the cost to each household to fund such a program could be as little as ten dollars per year . This would guarantee that we have a dedicated yearly funding source of more than seven million dollars to ensure that children are offered services aimed at supporting them to become healthy and productive contributors to our society . I believe that we owe each of our children , without regard to where they live , a safe environment to learn and grow . Creating a violent crime reduction and prevention program would help guarantee that our children get that chance .
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