Lexington, Ky., May Declare Gun Violence a Public Emergency

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(TNS) — Gun violence in Lexington is a public health crisis.

That’s what a committee of the Lexington-Fayette council said Tuesday as part of a vote to move forward a list of recommendations to address the worrisome violence.

A Gun Violence Task Force , which included council members, community members, police and fire, has met for more than a year to determine how to better address gun violence in Fayette County.

During Tuesday’s Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council’s Social Services and Public Safety Committee , the group’s final recommendations were presented to the committee.

One of the top recommendations was to make gun violence a public health emergency.

By doing so, the city could give it the same attention and resources it gives other public health crisis, such as the opioid epidemic and domestic violence, said Kendra Thompson, a research analyst for the council.

The group also recommended hiring a full-time gun violence prevention coordinator who could coordinate media awareness campaigns about gun safety, seek state and federal grants and help the city respond to gun violence incidents.

Councilwoman Jennifer Reynolds , who chaired the Gun Violence Task Force , said she would ask for $75,000 for the new position out of surplus funds. The council will debate how to use surplus funds from the fiscal year that ended June 30 later this month.

Reynolds said there will also be a request to fund the position in next year’s budget.

Other recommendations from the group include:

A Gun Violence Prevention Awareness month in June.
Expanding One Lexington, the city’s gun violence prevention program, to include all ages. It currently serves youth 13-29.
Advertising and making more transparent city resources for gun violence and resources for survivors.
Allowing community groups focusing on gun violence use of the city’s various community centers for meetings and other events.

The committee voted unanimously to pass the recommendations.

Mothers, Survivors of Gun Violence Urge Passage

About a dozen mothers who lost their children to gun violence attended Tuesday’s council meeting.

Tonya Lindsey of Sisters and Supporters Working Against Gun Violence, a nonprofit that helps families who have lost someone to gun violence, was also a member of the task force. She urged the council to pass the recommendations.

“We are the face of gun violence. We know we have a problem with gun violence in Lexington, Kentucky,” Lindsey said during the meeting.

Lindsey’s son Ezavion Lindsey was 16 when he was killed by his brother in 2013.

Council members were supportive of moving the recommendations to the full council.

Councilwoman Tayna Fogle has also also been affected by gun violence. Her son was shot six times but survived. But those gun shot wounds have changed him mentally and spiritually, she said.

Fogle thanked the mothers who attended Tuesday’s committee meeting. It’s important the council sees how guns have altered Lexington’s families, she said.

“We invest money in a lot of things. You can’t get your babies back,” Fogle said. “I’m asking from my colleagues that we publicly say this is a crisis.”

It’s not clear when the council will vote on those recommendations. Reynolds said work needs to be done on the recommendations because some touch multiple city departments.