KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo City Commissioners, the city’s Public Safety Director, and community members met earlier this week at Western Michigan University to discuss how to address gun violence in the city.
In a Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety report released earlier this year, officials said youth violence is on the rise after a record-breaking year of gun violence in the city in 2021.
The city is now working with the Lewis Walker Institute at WMU to focus on youth development and teen violence. Director Luchara Wallace told WWMT-TV they’ve had success in the past with youth development programs.
Wallace said it’s important to bring everyone to the table to tackle the community-wide issue, and they plan to meet next week to lay out measurable goals for tackling gun violence, followed by methods for putting those goals into action.
The City of Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo County have each committed $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief money for community violence intervention.
