San Diego County residents will have the opportunity to share their experiences, perspectives, and feedback on gun violence during several “listening sessions” throughout the region.
According to county officials, these community listening sessions aim to identify what services and programs are needed to curb gun violence. Comments given by participants of the listening sessions will be incorporated into the findings and recommendations in the final report, which will be completed in Spring 2023, according to the California-based research nonprofit Health Assessment and Research for Communities, known as HARC.
According to organizers, the project is looking at gun violence from several perspectives, including community violence, suicide, and family/domestic/intimate partner violence.
The dates and times for upcoming sessions include:
- December 1, 2022: Virtual Listening Session
Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/GVRLS2
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
- December 5, 2022: In-Person Listening Session
Location: Chula Vista Library (Auditorium) 365 F Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m
- December 7, 2022: In-Person Listening Session
Location: One Safe Place (Training Center Room) 1050 Los Vallecitos Blvd., San Marcos, CA 92069
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
- December 15, 2022: In-Person Listening Session
Location: Ronald Reagan Community Center (East Hall) 195 E Douglas Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
The plans for the sessions were developed after the Board of Supervisors asked staff in October of last year to identify strategies to curb gun violence. County staff convened a Gun Violence Reduction Working Group in early 2022 to develop recommendations for Board consideration.
The Working Group, comprised of representatives from community-based organizations that actively work in gun violence prevention, intervention, and aftercare (i.e., post-incident trauma recovery), as well as various County of San Diego departments, centered around using a public health approach to address gun violence in our communities. The group recommended listening sessions.
On April 5, 2022, the Board of Supervisors moved forward with the recommendation and authorized a competitive solicitation for a contractor to conduct a regional gun violence reduction community needs assessment.
The county created a Gun Violence Reduction Advisory Group in September to provide input regarding community engagement, data, and other matters during the assessment
Members of the public who would like additional information about the “listening sessions” and to set up language translation services may contact HARC at ARamos@HARCdata.org.
For general information, visit https://harcdata.org/client-projects/
