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Dallas ISD school trustee Maxie Johnson broke down Monday as he spoke about gun violence and programs that would soon tackle the issue.
Photos of Dallas ISD students who have been killed lined the front of South Oak Cliff High School on Monday. One of the victims was Johnson’s son, 22-year-old Christopher Whitfield Johnson, a South Oak Cliff alum who was fatally shot in August 2019.
“I know firsthand the devastation … having lost my son,” he said. “It is something that I have lived and struggle to make sense of every day.”
On Monday, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced that $4.5 million from the city’s general fund has been earmarked to pay for public safety solutions to tackle the underlying issues of crime such as lack of lighting, blight, and community programs. The mayor, along with Dallas ISD officials and community members, said the money will allow the task force to begin its work soon.
“The task force has taken a close look at some of the reasons violent crime is raging in our communities, cutting short the lives of victims and feeding the prison pipeline,” the school trustee said.
The $4.5 million comes about 10 months after the task force released its recommendations to reduce crime. It is unclear how much it will take to pay for all of the suggestions in a way that can be sustained. The mayor previously announced the creation of a donation fund to help supplement the efforts. Additionally, the mayor said he plans to explore options to get tax increment financing dollars to help with improvements.
“We cannot ask police and prosecutors to do it all alone. Public safety is about far more than that,” the mayor said. “Safety requires all of us looking out for each other, and local governments must commit to basic fundamental principles that can make our communities safer and more prosperous.”
Violent crime in Dallas has increased in the last two years. So far this year, there’s been 178 homicides, compared with this time a year ago when the city recorded 162, according to Dallas Police statistics. Following the economic and public health crisis of the coronavirus pandemic and massive demonstrations, several big cities in the country have seen more homicides, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.
The task force, which spent months on its report, focused on non-law enforcement solutions to help supplement the Police Department’s efforts to tackle violent crime.
The mayor convened the 16-member group in August 2019 to help address crime. The call to action came after 9-year-old Brandoniya Bennett was killed by a gunman who fired into her family’s townhome in Old East Dallas on Aug.14, 2019.
Less than a day later, Maxie Johnson’s son was killed.