In August 2019, after a wave of violent crime in Dallas and the killing of 9-year-old Brandoniya Bennett in her home, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson launched the Task Force on Safe Communities to examine ways to reduce violent crime.
The Task Force produced four core 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 are supported by community input and extensive research on best practices used across the country. Eight distinguished criminologists have endorsed the Task Force’s report and recommendations.
Donations to the fund will support efforts to implement these recommendations to help Dallas build stronger, safer neighborhoods.