Marla Gold, MD
Dean & Professor, School of Public Health, Drexel University
We want action and we are ready to move forward. It isn't about meetings nor marches for us anymore, it's about action. But I believe to truly move, the issue of violence in our City must be everyone's issue. This is not about containing a problem so it doesn't spill into the suburbs. It's not about something that happens to others. It should not be possible that someone in one area of the City reads the paper with its daily body count and then moves effortlessly, coffee in hand, to the sports section. The threat of bird flu brought more interest than 406 homicides this past year. It should not be that individuals and entire neighborhoods feel disregarded- but they do. Homicide is the leading cause of death among young black men and women in this country. Dr Mindy Fullilove, a physician researcher in New York, noted years ago that "violence is endemic in some communities, a regrettable part of the culture of everyday life, creating a perpetual post-traumatic syndrome characterized by hyper-vigilance, defensiveness, assertiveness, and hostility." And the cycle continues, as feeling disregarded and disrespected are connected to violent behavior.
It should not be that the media or any of us, for that matter, think that following the meetings and marches and special features; that we think we are truly addressing the issue. Harvey V. Fineberg, President of the Institute of Medicine and former Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, said, "What is it that leads to a social change in attitude from sympathy, to responsibility for action? What is it that makes a social condition a problem that demands attention and response?"
Community education and awareness are of critical importance, yes. Criminal justice programs and regulations have the potential to result in more immediate positive changes, yes. Public health strategies can add to long-term decreases in violence, also true. But steps need to be taken through the media, through community organizations, through government at all levels, through academia, faith-based institutions and more—steps to make it very difficult if not impossible, to move so effortlessly to that sports page. Our people are hurting and killing one another. Communities are traumatized and collective, creative solutions are needed. Public health is part of such solutions.
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