The people of Carbondale have suffered at least six shootings since the beginning of 2020 alone. We need a plan to reduce gun violence in our town.
But the usual approach to reducing violent crime — more police and more cameras — simply does not work. Surveillance cameras have consistently shown to be ineffective at reducing violent crime and Carbondale already has about double the police of the national average — and spends double to maintain this large police force.
Over the last decade, as the population of Carbondale has declined, the ratio of police to non-police residents has increased. Rather than a reduction in gun violence over this period, we've actually seen an increase.
As City leaders have publicly stated, most gun violence arises from personal conflicts that escalate into violence, and the police are not really able to stop it. The only real solution will come from a change in the community, giving people access to different means of resolving disputes and dealing with the deeper traumas that keep so many people in cycles of violence.
The Carbondale Spring Care Worker Team is a plan to build that community change. We will bring together best practices in the fields of violence-reduction, mental health crisis intervention, and community organizing to create a unique program that provides direct services to the Carbondale community.
The services of the Carbondale Care Work Team will include:
(1) a Rapid Response mental health crisis team (modeled on CAHOOTS in Eugene, OR);
(2) A trauma-informed, community based gun-violence reduction program (modeled on Cure Violence Global); and
(3) the construction of community support networks of trained volunteers to spread tools for conflict resolution and mutual aid among neighbors.
We have submitted a Community Organization Grant to the City of Carbondale for $185,640 — less than 2% of the annual Carbondale Police Department Budget. This money will fund the development of pilot programs in each of the services named above. To read the full Grant Application, click here.
Please sign this petition to tell the Carbondale City Council that you support the Carbondale Care Work Initiative!
Questions? Want to get involved? Send an email to carbondalespring@gmail.com
