Fellow residents of the City of New Orleans,
When I took office on May 7, 2018, I knew that we faced some tough challenges ahead, and that the only way we could meet them was if we went forward together. One of the most pressing challenges we face as a city is the high number of murders, which has topped 145 every year since 1972. With nearly 90 percent of murder victims being killed by firearms, our homicide problem is a gun violence problem.
To combat this issue, I commissioned the Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, composed of a broad range of community stakeholders, and charged them with developing a comprehensive set of recommendations for helping my administration deal with this epidemic in our city. I wanted a plan that would make a difference – not just in the short term with temporary successes, but one that would outlast my tenure, save lives for many years to come and lead to our city truly being safer.
It is important to remember that this plan is not a cure-all; gun violence in New Orleans will not be eradicated overnight. Determining exactly what works at scale will take years of iteration, trial and error, data analysis and community feedback. That being said, if we remain focused on making long-term, strategic investments in public health interventions that data shows are effective; if we improve our homicide clearance rate; and if we disrupt violence through intentional and sustained community engagement efforts, I know our city’s next 50 years will involve far less gun violence than our last 50 years.
I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to the Task Force members who gave their energy, time, passion, and insight to the planning process. I also want to extend my gratitude to my staff, the consultants, community leaders, advocates, and local and national experts who played a role in devising this plan.
Yours for a safer New Orleans,
LaToya Cantrell
Mayor of the City of New Orleans
Download "A Generational Gun Violence Reduction Plan"