The Maryland chapter of the Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement applauding Mayor Brandon Scott of Baltimore for announcing the allocation of $50 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to be put toward violence intervention programs throughout the city. The $50 million will be utilized over three years through the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) on projects such as community-based violence intervention, victim services, youth justice, re-entry services, and other community healing efforts, which will expand on the work already being done in Baltimore to combat gun violence on the community level.
“Curing the gun violence epidemic in Baltimore requires meaningful investments that reflect the scope of this growing issue,” said KeKe Collins, a volunteer with the Maryland chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This historic commitment will spur new proactive strategies that save lives and prioritize the safety of communities across the city that have been most heavily impacted by this crisis. We are grateful to Mayor Scott for his continued commitment to the fight against gun violence.”
To assist local communities across the country, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law in March of 2021, authorizing $130 billion in funding for local governments to counter the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Local governments can now utilize ARPA funds to address gun violence in cities as increased gun violence can be traced to the impact of the pandemic, and violence intervention professionals are performing essential frontline work to protect the public and interrupt gun violence.
More information on the American Rescue Plan can be found here. More information on gun violence in Maryland can be found here.