Gun Violence: A Community Concern
Gun violence is an issue that has plagued the country, impacting the safety of communities, their institutions and their citizens. Members of law enforcement, employees of local school districts, community members and concerned citizens of Dutchess County and beyond opened up about their perspectives on gun violence.
These numbers reflect a small percentage of the gun-related violence that occurred since 2014 in New York alone.
Dutchess County has been the location of a number of gun-related events, and the community has prioritized the issue. Despite safety drills and emergency preparedness, even members of law enforcement share fears with the average citizen because of the randomness of acts of gun violence.
Just last week, a gunman opened fire in Poughkeepsie on the corner of Washington and Marshall Street. Nothing was found by police except 4 shell casings by a parked car.
Gun violence across inner city communities such as this one draw great concern from locals of the county. According to the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, over the course of 5 years Dutchess County has experienced a 5.8 percent gun death rate.
Law enforcement in these communities respond to calls that claim to be active shooters on a weekly basis, however, the amount that actually turn out to be acts of crime occur far less often.
Sergeant Joseph Herring of the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department states that for a crime to occur there must be a triangle of actions. “We need three things: A potential victim, someone willing to commit the crime and the opportunity for them to act. If I take one away then we don’t have anything. If all three come together it’s a perfect crime,” states Herring.
Herring stresses the toughest part of handling these crimes is the randomness of gun violence. “We depend largely on the cooperation of community members who witness these events, as it’s hard to be at the right place at the right time all the time,” states Herring.
Unfortunately, schools are often the targets of these types of tragedies and Dutchess is home to thirteen different school districts. Of those districts, there have been a number that have been affected by gun threats.
Protocols differ when they are responding to active shooters at school districts, and law enforcement officials have prepared students about dangers and warning signs to be aware of through various programs. “While we haven’t had any shots fired at school, we’ve had incidents where students come armed to school and when this happens it’s left up to the Superintendent and school district on how to respond,” states Herring.
Superintendent of Poughkeepsie Schools, Kathleen Farrell states, “Our district lost a student to gun violence in the immediate past and have a survivor among our high school population currently, so students are aware of the issue not only as a campus item but a community concern.”
Every year law enforcement holds presentations with all members of the school district to inform them of proper protocol and what to do in the event of a situation. With that being said, school employees have families of their own and they don’t believe there is much that law enforcement can do to protect them.
“Until our legal system holds the seller of the weapon or the open of the weapon who does not safeguard same from those who should not have a weapon, there is little more that law enforcement can do,” states Farrell.
Don Halliday, long time Poughkeepsie resident and grandfather of two elementary school children, believes that this rising epidemic is only going to get worse.
“If no laws are put in place to prevent the accessibility to guns, then I don’t see anything changing on this issue anytime soon,” states Halliday.
“It’s a sad time for our country when even law enforcement feels helpless to prevent this type of violence.”
The prevalence of gun violence in schools has risen alarmingly in recent years, and districts in and around the Dutchess County community are aware of how the following statistics reveal a need for safety protocols.
In 2018, there were 11 school shootings per year. During these school shootings there were 12,752 students present for the shootings.
Sadly, no school is spared from the horror that follows a school shooting despite their location. According to the Washington Post’s data, at least 36 states and the district have experienced a shooting.
In the short few months 2019 has begun, there have been 19 reported incidents of school shootings.
Beacon School District is among one of the many districts that have expressed their concern for their students and work closely with the police department to be certain their students are safe.
Beacon City School District Board President, Anthony White, states in order to ensure parents of their children safety within school it is essential to be transparent. “To let them know safety is the number one concern you want to focus on, education is second even though we’re an education facility. Students cannot learn if they’re not safe,” states White.
White emphasizes the importance of being proactive in seeking out the proper precautions. “When there is a national incident we might become a little more heightened. We really look at it as a continuous basis where it is not a reaction to something that would happen because you have to be proactive with it,” states White.
Every two months the head of security sets up district safety meetings where all the emergency personnel that focus on which procedures will be in place. Procedures for a school shooting vary depending on the school and their security, however, Beacon school district guarantees their staff are up to date on the protocols.
“It becomes instinct where you have to practice it so it is not an unfamiliar task that they are asked to perform it in the real situation, which hopefully never happens. The more you practice it, the more ingrained it will come into this is how you have to act and respond to it,” states White.
Students and faculty of local school districts are not the only members of the community affected by these events, and community members in the area have strong opinions about the use of guns.
On Saturday, March 16, the warm weather and sunshine brought many locals and visitors out to visit the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park. With news of the New Zealand mosque attacks flooding local and national outlets, a few locals offered their positions on the controversial topic.
Dutchess County resident, name withheld, explained that she has struggled with her viewpoint over the years. “I support the Second Amendment, always have always will,” she explains. “However, I do think there needs to be strict regulations put in place for who can access a gun, and it needs to happen now.”
In addition to strengthening regulations on the ownership of guns, she believes that weapon education should be required.
“I think that if someone owns a gun, they should have to take a safety class on how to use it,” she explains. “I have been hunting since I was a little girl, and I know how to properly use the weapon, but if my children were to get their hands on my guns, they could hurt themselves or others. That’s why I make sure to lock it away and people should be educated on that responsibility of owning a gun”
A tourist visiting from Long Island, name withheld, offered their perspective on gun violence, and their frustration of the topic of personal weapons.
“I personally don’t think it is necessary for an average citizen to have a weapon of that caliber in their home,” he explains. “If someone breaks into my home, am I going to shoot and kill them? Personally, I would be horrified with myself.”
The tourist explains further stating, “I understand why people would want to protect themselves and their families, but is it worth all the potential, accidental danger that comes with it?”
With a sigh, he concluded his point by stating a simple, “I don’t think there is an easy way to solve this issue.”
In other public locations, such as Poughkeepsie’s local Starbucks, people expressed fear in light of recent mass shootings.
“Anything can happen at any time,” said Mesha Caldwell, a 22 year old student from Rochester, New York, “It literally could happen to anybody. Anybody walking by you could be a mass shooter, so it does scare me.”
This being said, Caldwell did concede that at times the fear of being caught in a mass shooting seems improbable.
“I also feel like the chances of it happening sometimes in an area that I am is very unlikely.”
As for Caldwell’s friend, 22 year old Emma Greenberg of Scarborough, Maine, her worries were directed towards the sale of assault rifles.
“I think that if you’re trying to own a gun for self protection then it doesn’t need to be an assault rifle,” Greenberg said, “There’s no need for that to be in the public’s possession.”
Georgia Reidy of San Diego, California put it more simply.
“I one hundred percent believe that there should be stricter gun laws.”
A cloudless day in March brought visitors and locals to the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park. A handful of these park goers offered their perspective on gun violence, personal concerns and potential solutions.
Dutchess County resident, Sharon, spoke to the importance of limiting children’s intake of violent content in video games and television programs, as well as increasing education about the gravity of gun use.
“I think that the gaming and social media…parents really need to hold off on letting their kids start that stuff because there’s just too much violence on them,” the 55 year old said.
In addition to the importance of conscientious parenting, Sharon discussed the current pressures placed on children and young adults that could evoke acts of gun violence.
“A lot of the academic pressures on kids today could be a potential reason for the gun violence,” she speculated. “I think there needs to be more education about the finality of using guns, whether it be death or jail.”
Another park goer, name withheld, felt that the issue pertains more to mental health than gun control.
Any laws that arise following an act of gun violence, he believes, are ineffective in preventing another episode because of the very essence of criminal activity.
“The nature of being a criminal is breaking laws, so it really comes down to the people because they’ll go ahead and do it whether or not laws are in place,” the 64 year old New Jersey native said.
Citing the harmful presence of social media in today’s society, he voiced concerns about the association of unsettling content posted to the social accounts of people who own guns.
“I think it’s more ‘if you see something say something’ because what they put out on social media…that’s one of the first indications.”
Imparting his beliefs about safety in these situations, the man said, “the most important thing is to be aware of your surroundings.”
He concluded his statements with a subtle, yet pragmatic, piece of advice for all people: “You can’t live your life in fear.”
Article Contributors: Nia Jones, Kerri Seredinsky, Olivia Haleblian, Will Huck and Kerriann Ernenwein
