Too often and for too long in Covington we have relied on our police forces to address violence after it happens rather than focus on preventative strategies. But reactive actions and consequences alone cannot solve the problem. Nor can they reduce the lasting impact of violent acts on our most vulnerable population, our youth. It is vital that we begin to take a more proactive approach to violence prevention using strategies supported by research and backed by data.
Included in that “we” is local government. I believe that Covington’s elected leaders can and must take an assertive and holistic approach to preventing youth violence by expanding the availability of stable, affordable housing and addressing other factors that make up the physical and community environment surrounding our youth.
Expanding local government’s priorities beyond riverfront and business development is why I am running for a position on the Covington Board of Commissioners. Lack of affordable housing, career and educational opportunities, and crime prevention and reduction must be addressed to create positive change for all Covington neighborhoods, which is why I am asking for your vote in the upcoming election.
Below I provide the data to support my position. And I do so remembering always that behind those numbers are children – our sons, daughters, grandchildren, students, friends. I have personally known- and in many cases taught- almost every teen who has been a victim of violence or witness to it in our city over the last 10 years. For them I never stop grieving. We must take a stand to disrupt the cycle of violence that can have life-long negative implications for them … and to do so, we need to reduce their exposure to violent acts.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the leading cause of death for youth ages 15-19 are accidents or unintentional injuries, such as motor vehicle deaths, drownings, drug overdoses (classified as poisonings,) falls, and suffocations. But second is assault (homicide) and third is intentional self-harm. Furthermore, males are more than twice as likely as females to die of homicide or suicide before the age of 25.
According to a Vitalsigns survey conducted by the CDC, 44 percent of teens experienced at least one type of violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, while 1 in 7 experienced two or more types of violence. (“Experiencing” violence can mean being a victim, a witness, or a perpetrator of a violent act.) The impact these experiences have on youth can harm brain development, resulting in impaired decision-making, learning challenges, decreased connections to peers and adults and trouble coping with stress. These in turn can lead to increased behavioral and mental health problems.
Community environment helps predict the likelihood of violent events, since they’re more likely to happen when there is residential instability, crowded housing, concentrated poverty, and neighborhood violence. Also at risk are areas with dense populations of alcohol-related businesses, high unemployment and poor economic growth and stability. Other factors are a lack of positive relationships among residents and acceptable views toward drug use and violence.
Collectively these factors create a state of chronic stress that changes how the brain develops and causes long-term effects. These community environmental factors also increase the chances that youth will live in impoverished neighborhoods and in dilapidated housing, move frequently, and experience food insecurity. Many living in these environments experience racism; have limited access to support and medical services; and live in homes with violence, mental health problems, or substance abuse problems.
How can we use this information to address youth violence in Covington?
“Because youth violence results from multiple individual, family and environmental factors that can accumulate over a child’s development,” the CDC says, “the use of one strategy will have limited effects on an entire community’s level of violence …” So the publication provides an outline of programs that have been effective in reducing youth violence. But the key to that effectiveness is the level of commitment from a variety of groups, including public health care, social services, schools, businesses, community organizations, and – yes – local government.
What can city government do to create a positive change? Modify the physical and social environment and reducing exposure to community-level risks using a strategy called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED.
CPTED has been used in multiple cities to reduce crime in targeted areas:
- Philadelphia in 2016 funded the repair of facades and abandoned buildings. It also created numerous pocket parks on vacant lots. The result was a decrease in gun violence in those areas of 39 percent and a reduction in non-gun violence of 13 percent.
- New York installed more street light towers in public housing areas in 2016. Leaders saw a 36 percent decrease in robberies, property crimes, aggravated assaults, and murders.
In Covington, our police department has begun to take a more data-based approach to policing, data that could be mined to identify areas ripe for use of CPTED strategies. Determining the specific course of action will depend upon the data, but there is plenty of opportunity, given that Covington currently has numerous abandoned buildings and vacant lots. Each of these is a potential site for criminal activity. Tougher policies and a more aggressive approach to the seizure of abandoned properties would allow for resale of these locations. And to help meet the need for affordable housing, precedence could be given to owner-occupied bids or developers who agree to cap rents and align them with the needs of residents.
While this specific strategy does not target youth violence directly, in time it will. And in collaboration with efforts from other partners – health and social service agencies, public schools, and community groups – Covington can reduce the amount of violence we expose our children to and increase their chances for living healthy successful lives. We’ve all heard the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” It is time that City government focuses on targeted efforts to make our village a safe, stable place to raise our children.
