Written by Tanya Terry, with photos by Tanya Terry
During a Gun Violence Awareness Month roundtable discussion in Flint, city officials and community leaders outlined comprehensive efforts to reduce gun violence through enforcement, prevention and community engagement.
Mayor Sheldon Neeley said: “Gun violence is not just our job, but it’s the job of many of us. We talk about clergy, we talk about education, also business people and just regular residents in our community. One of the most famous quotes we had around this is children are the world’s most valuable resource and the best hope for the future. John F Kennedy said that.”
Therefore, Neeley stressed we must play a vital role in making sure we can reduce gun violence in our community.
The mayor emphasized that gun violence reduction is a year-round effort involving clergy, educators, business leaders, and residents, noting that U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a landmark advisory declaring firearm violence a public health crisis in 2024, with about 200 mass shootings occurring across America this year.
MassShootingTracker.site has recorded 216 U.S. mass shootings in 2026.
Flint Police Chief Terence Green described police department initiatives including juvenile curfew enforcement, Operation Safe Summer, joint task force efforts with local and state partners, hot spot policing and targeting crime drivers.
“We will continue our hot spot policing, focusing on large, unauthorized pop-up gatherings and unlicensed social clubs,” said Green. “We will continue targeting those that are that we’ve identified as the drivers of crime.”
Sergeant Paul Spann highlighted community engagement programs at Haskell Community Center, including NFL youth flag football in partnership with the greater Flint Olympian Games and CANUSA games, theater classes in partnership with the Flint Institute of Music, zoology classes teaching youth to interact with animals in a safe manner, journalism classes involving writing articles and taking professional photos and cooking classes with the Culinary Institute of Mott Community College.
Spann added: “Finally, at the end of the summer, we will be doing a trip to the National Youth Summit for the PAL (Police Activities League) program, where we will be selecting kids to go to Washington, DC.”
According to Spann, parents also being engaged with their children by knowing what they are doing and what they are posting on social media could be a matter of life and death.
The administration, under the leadership of Shebra Ward in public health, established trauma support services for gun violence victims, as well as health navigation stations.
Michelle Scott, program manager for the Community Violence Intervention & Prevention Initiative, noted there is an upcoming, local summer youth job fair for ages 14-19, with jobs for youth showing to reduce gun violence nationwide.
She also discussed peer mediation programs in schools teaching conflict resolution and leadership skills.
“Students learn communication, conflict resolution and leadership skills that help them navigate challenges in healthy and productive ways,” Scott said. “These programs empower young people to become problem solvers, leaders and positive influences among their peers. We believe young people should have opportunities not only to participate in their community, but to help shape it, whether it be through employment, peer leadership, mentoring, advocacy or community engagement. We are committed to helping Flint’s youth reach their full potential as we head into the summer months.”
Scott also announced a Youth Gun Violence Summit scheduled for June 13 at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. For it, the youth themselves will speak about how violence in their communities is affecting them.
The city is utilizing federal and state dollars for these programs, including American Rescue Plan funds for gun bounty initiatives targeting high-powered weapons.
“It’s not a gun buy back,” stated Neeeley. “A gun bounty is a different thing. We’re not just looking for the snub nose 38 or the long rifle. We’re looking for those AK 47s…”
Summer job applications are set to begin intake from 5-7 p.m. on June 15 at the Mays Center. Attendees will also be able to get free birth certificates and open credit union accounts.
Additionally, the Haskell Community Center grand reveal scheduled for June 23.
Faith Junior, the mayor’s intern for the youth program, shared that teaching youth about local politics and providing resources has shown measurable decreases in school violence and social media conflicts. She emphasized that solutions require wraparound services, parent engagement, community partnerships and positive activities for young people. Junior shared her belief with the Courier that the City is winning through collective effort and commitment to prevention before violence occurs.
“We’ve been able to see the violence and we’ve been able to just take a hold of it,” Junior said. “”Nothing is being ignored.”
