Yoon Calls for Homicide Response Protocol
Renews Criticism of Menino for Inadequate Funding of Violence Prevention, Youth Street Workers
May 7, 2009
BOSTON – City Councilor-at-Large and Mayoral candidate Sam Yoon called for Mayor Thomas Menino to implement comprehensive youth violence prevention that includes a clear protocol for homicide response with adequately funded trauma work to prevent the next shooting.
Yoon’s call comes after a 15-year-old boy was shot on Dudley Street in Roxbury while on his way to school this morning. He is not expected to survive. This incident would be the second fatal shooting in four days and the beginning of what Boston’s community leaders believe will be a violent summer.
“I am heartbroken and angry at another teen shooting, and I know we can do better,” said Yoon. “We must have the political will to make youth violence prevention our top priority, or else we risk losing a generation of youth.”
Yoon advocates for an approach that includes long-term prevention work to engage young people and establish a clear protocol for how to respond in the hours and weeks after a homicide – the most critical time to intervene in retaliation.
“We know how to control youth violence in Boston – our community based organizations, public health experts and youth workers know what needs to be done,” said Yoon. “What we lack is leadership from the Mayor to coordinate a response and the resources to carry out a plan.”
Earlier this week, Yoon challenged Police Commissioner Ed Davis at a City Council budget hearing to curb excessive overtime spending in order to free up resources for violence prevention efforts.
Throughout his two terms on the City Council, Yoon has been a consistent and vocal advocate for a comprehensive violence prevention strategy. When he first got on the Council in 2006, Yoon worked with anti-violence leaders to bring over 300 young people to City Hall to witness the Council’s budget vote. The following year, he worked with ministers, police, youth workers, victims of violence and young people to craft a trauma protocol for the aftermath of homicides. Yoon has also proposed legislation that would generate $35 million in annual revenue for violence prevention.
