To the Editor:

As we continue to see the level of gun violence and physical assaults grow in parts of Mattapan and Dorchester, the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council (GMNC) is requesting that the Mayor’s Office look to the results of another city’s recent efforts that have been effective – the City of Chicago.

Beginning in May of 2022, the Chicago’s Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC), in partnership with community organizations, formed High Risk Intervention Teams to conduct weekly violence reviews and identify the tasks necessary to address people and place-based issues driving violence. These teams represent a holistic and coordinated effort between the city and community partners to identify what is driving violence in each community area to identify what solutions we can quickly use to combat violence.

The teams comprised members from across the city representing Faith-Based, Street Outreach, Community-Based, Mental Health Providers, Victim Services, Police Department, Mayor’s Office, and Public Schools organizations and services.

The GMNC appreciates the heartfelt responses to the violence; we all agree that these are never enough. It is very easy to point fingers and make statements that we need this programming or that programming, but a community becomes proactive when it uses issue-based facts to respond to whatever is driving the violence. Our Council looks forward to working with the types of groups mentioned above to become part of the solution.

The Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council (GMNC) meets regularly and issues recommendations on development, youth affairs, and on other public issues in the area.