Mayor Johnson announces Safe Communities Initiative Fund
Mayor Eric Johnson on Thursday announced the creation of the Mayor’s Safe Communities Initiative Fund.
The Fund, hosted by the Communities Foundation of Texas, will accept donations to help pay for crime-reduction programs and efforts recommended by the Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities. A donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has agreed to kick off the fund with a $50,000 donation.
“Too many of society’s systemic ills fall to police to solve. But public safety is everyone’s responsibility, not just that of law enforcement,” Mayor Johnson said. “The Task Force showed us how we could reduce violent crime with proven strategies that are driven by data and supported by our communities. This Fund will help us turn the Task Force’s recommendations into reality, which means safer neighborhoods that don’t need to rely as much on police.”
In its report, the Task Force made four primary recommendations:
- Remediate blighted buildings and abandoned lots in high-violence locations.
- Add outdoor lighting in locations where nighttime violence has been most severe.
- Utilize schools to deliver group support that teaches kids to pause before they act.
- Hire and train credible messengers from within high-violence neighborhoods as “violence interrupters” to keep resolvable conflicts from escalating into gun violence.
The recommendations were supported by extensive research on best practices used across the country. Eight distinguished criminologists endorsed the Task Force’s report in a letter, which can be found here.
To make a donation through the Communities Foundation, visit https://portal.cftexas.org/
“Our vision at CFT is to build thriving communities for all, so we are grateful for our partnership with the City of Dallas and Mayor Johnson and proud to manage the funds in support of the Safe Communities Initiative,” said Dave Scullin, President and Chief Executive Officer of CFT.
