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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
PROPOSED RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING JUNE AS GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, gun violence is a national and local public health crisis and was declared so by the American Medical Association in 2016; and
WHEREAS, according to the 2023 Annual Report from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, gun violence rose starkly during the COVID-19 pandemic with the over 48,800 gun deaths in 2021 (over 26,000 being suicides and nearly 21,000 homicides), the highest amount of national gun deaths ever recorded; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office recorded 1,087 gun related homicides in Cook County in 2021, the first time the office has recorded more than 1,000 homicides in a year since 1994; and
WHEREAS, gun violence is connected to historic disinvestment and overwhelmingly and disproportionately impacts Communities of Color, with Black Americans being, on average, over 10 times more likely to be victims of firearm homicide than non-Hispanic white Americans; and
WHEREAS, gun violence has become the leading cause of death for children and young adults in the United States; and
WHEREAS, despite modest reductions in gun homicides, rates of gun violence remain tragically and unacceptably high-- elevated beyond pre-pandemic levels; and
WHEREAS, gun violence is preventable as research demonstrates violence prevention and community violence intervention programming can reduce involvement in gun violence for participants, save lives, and improve the underlying conditions and root causes that drive violence in our communities; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is committed to approaching gun violence as a public health crisis that demands a public health and public safety coordinated response; and
WHEREAS, Cook County has long been committed to effective, sustainable solutions to gun violence that address the root causes of community violence, meet the needs of at-risk individuals, address systemic harm and center the communities most impacted by gun violence; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is committed to promoting and investing in these strategies, such that they are community-centered, evidence-informed, and multidisciplinary; and
WHEREAS, the Justice Advisory Council is a leader in Cook County’s efforts to address gun violence, managing the historic $110 million Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Grant initiative made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act; and
WHEREAS, additional complementary investments include Cook County Reconnect, the Domestic Violence Intervention and Support Services initiative, and behavioral health grants under the Stronger Together: Building a More Equitable Behavioral Health System in Cook County initiative, managed by Cook County Health; and
WHEREAS, Cook County helped form the Government Alliance for Safe Communities, established in 2021 to increase coordination and maximize the impact of investments in violence prevention made by the State of Illinois, Cook County and the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Cook County continues to help lead the Government Alliance and build key partnerships with the philanthropic, business, research and non-profit stakeholders to ensure the sustainability and lasting impact of investments in violence prevention; and
WHEREAS, June is recognized as Gun Violence Awareness Month and the first Friday in June is observed nationally as Wear Orange Day in remembrance of Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teen lost to gun violence in 2013, as well as the thousands of lives tragically lost each year to this crisis; and
WHEREAS, we all have a role to play in violence prevention, be it understanding, advocating, supporting or directly contributing to the work of preventing and reducing community violence and building peace in communities; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the more than 5.2 million residents of Cook County, do hereby take this opportunity to acknowledge National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which took place on June 7, 2024 and to recognize June as Gun Violence Awareness Month; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Cook County leaders will continue to bring awareness and devote resources to emerging and evidence-based and community-centered gun violence prevention strategies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Cook County leadership will continue to coordinate with state and city partners in response to high levels of gun violence and work collaboratively to implement equitable and effective solutions that improve community safety; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be shared during the official proceedings of this Honorable Body in recognition of Gun Violence Awareness Month.
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