Kansas City deserves leaders who can break the traumatizing cycle of violence for good | Opinion

It is the best of times in Kansas City. We are Super Bowl champs again, and in the coming months and years we will be hosting the NFL draft, more AFC championships and the World Cup. Hundreds of thousands of visitors will be coming here and landing at our new state-of-the-art airport. For the next decade, our beautiful city, landmarks and culture will be showcased on a national and global stage like never before.

But sadly, for far too many Kansas Citians, it is the worst of times. In 2022, our city recorded its second-highest homicide rate with 169 lives tragically lost. Our deadliest year was 2020, and the third-deadliest was 2021. This violence affects all of us and disproportionately impacts communities of color — communities historically plagued by disinvestment, concentrated and generational poverty and barriers to opportunity.

I know this because I grew up in such a community on Kansas City’s East Side. I have seen how violence traumatizes families and neighborhoods while working as a prosecuting attorney in the Jackson County prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit for almost a decade. I have talked with local leaders about how our violence negatively impacts our ability to sell Kansas City as a safe place to do business and raise a family. And I have heard from countless residents that action is needed.

With the proliferation of guns on our streets and lack of commonsense gun regulations, addressing the violence can seem daunting.

However, all is not lost. In 2013, we came together as a community and created KC NoVA, the Kansas City No Violence Alliance. This public safety strategy had the important elements of being cohesive, comprehensive and evidence-based. The program included faith communities, neighborhood leaders, academic researchers, social service agencies, community activists and law enforcement partners across local, state and federal agencies. While the program has unfortunately ended, it was credited with reducing homicides in 2014 by 30% to a 42-year low.

I worked as a case manager in KC NoVA in 2014, providing services to would-be offenders to deter them from engaging in violence. The program was a heavy lift. However, it was an example of what is possible when we come together as a community to reduce violence.

Norman Rockwell’s “The Kansas City Spirit” captures our determination and grit in the wake of the floods of 1951. The painting portrays a man standing upright, clutching blueprints in one hand while using the other to roll up his sleeve. He looks ahead at the task of rebuilding the city with resolve.

As homicides and violence continue at a tragic rate into 2023, we find ourselves at a similar crossroads. The City Council recently allocated $30 million for crime prevention efforts. We must use these valuable taxpayer dollars to create a public safety strategy that is cohesive, comprehensive and based on evidence. This strategy should hold our criminal justice system accountable, incorporate law enforcement with targeted use, implement community-based interventions and focus on the long term.

I am committed to a Kansas City where communities are not traumatized by record-breaking violence every year. A city where everyone can feel safe no matter what part of town you live or work. A city that civic leaders can sell as one of the safest places in America to do business and raise a family.

In the upcoming municipal elections on April 4 and June 20, you have an opportunity to create such a city by voting for leaders committed to making Kansas City safe for everyone. As the world turns its attention to our humble town, now is the time to set an example of how an American city can prioritize and tackle its violence.

Crispin Rea is assistant Jackson County prosecutor in the Special Victims Unit and a candidate for Kansas City Council 4th District at large.