President Shabazz and Wilmington Featured in National Discussion Regarding Public Health Approaches to Reducing Crime

Wilmington, Del. – Last week, during National League of Cities’ (NLC) 2017 City Summit in Charlotte, NC, Wilmington City Council President Dr. Hanifa Shabazz was a featured panelist for a national discussion regarding crime reduction strategies. President Shabazz presented to more than 150 local leaders, from across the country, at a workshop entitled A Public Health Approach to Reducing Crime.

“Whether you are from a small town, a large city like Wilmington, or a suburb, we know that we can’t police, prosecute or incarcerate our way to becoming safer cities,” said President Shabazz.   “There has to be a paradigm shift from viewing violence, mental illness and drug addiction as a criminal justice issue to a public health crisis – which demands that we stop treating the symptoms and address the root causes of this epidemic.”

Citing the important work of the Wilmington Community Advisory Council (formerly the CDC Community Advisory Council), President Shabazz shared the history, progress, best practices and lessons learned from efforts in Wilmington to address youth-related gun violence as a public health crisis. “The work we’re doing in Wilmington will ultimately serve as a national model or blueprint for other municipalities to follow,” said President Shabazz.

The workshop panel, representing three cities, shared their innovative and successful initiatives with city leaders to help better understand the connection between local, statewide and nationwide efforts. Other panelist included Councilwoman Kristin Szakos, of Charlottesville, Virginia, member of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Authority Board and Jack Calhoun, President and CEO of Hope Matters and a leading consultant in the areas of family policy and youth violence prevention.

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