Citation

Mitchell RAJ, Aronson JD. J. Am. Med. Assoc. JAMA 2022; 328(12): 1183-1184.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jama.2022.17144

PMID

36166009

Abstract

For many decades, cities across the US have struggled with the physical, psychosocial, financial, and health effects of violence in their poorest and most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Progress had been made in reducing and preventing this violence, but the COVID-19 pandemic reversed these gains. Among many reasons, restrictions that were placed on society due to the pandemic created an environment where violence interrupters who worked directly in the community had decreased face-to-face interactions, negatively affecting the work of prevention.1 The Black community is navigating both the COVID-19 pandemic and the epidemic of gun violence. The source of that violence does not just come from within the community; it may also come from the police who are sworn to protect it. This Viewpoint examines 3 specific issues related to violence in Black and other marginalized communities in the US: firearm-related deaths, violence in the context of law enforcement, and deaths in custody.

Firearm-Related Violence and Homicides

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 45 000 firearm-related deaths in the US in 2020. This represents nearly 124 people dying each day in the US from guns.2 Numbers of firearm-related homicides are creeping back toward what was witnessed in the early to mid-1990s. Males account for 86% of firearm-related fatalities. Even more disturbing, the leading cause of death for Black males ages 15 to 34 years is homicide, the majority of which are due to firearm injuries.2

What must policy makers do to respond to the homicidal gun violence plaguing US communities? The answer is complex and must be approached in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. It requires collaboration between government, law enforcement, hospitals, community-based organizations, schools, social services, behavioral health, and faith-based organizations to be successful. The response must include supporting funded research; identifying the risk and protective factors within specific age, race and ethnicity, gender, and geographic cohorts; and implementing interdisciplinary public health programming. Intentional, equitable, and sustained access to schools, jobs, housing, health care, environmental justice, along with nondisparate criminal justice practices...

Language: en