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What is Norwich doing about gun violence after the shooting death of Norman-Clack?
NORWICH— Despite Norwich being a tight-knit community, it is facing “a pandemic of gun violence,” City Councilmember and Norwich Interfaith Association Member Swaranjit Singh said Monday.
In the most recent incident, 19 –year-old Camaury Jabezz Norman-Clack was shot on May 11 on Sandy Lane, the same street where he lived. He was brought to Backus Hospital and pronounced dead just hours after. A vigil was held on the Greenville Playground on May 13, but there is more the community will do to try and curb the violence.
The Norwich Interfaith Association, an organization consisting of local leaders and clergy, held a meeting with Jeremy Stein of CT Against Gun Violence, to see what the city can do to help prevent gun violence.
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Gun violence is a complicated problem
However, Stein, who was also a first responder to Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown in 2012, said there isn’t one neat answer, as gun violence is a complicated problem, and the solutions need to be their own “ecosystem.”
“It’s more than just legislation,” he said. “It’s legislation, and enforcement, and education, and getting at the root causes of gun violence.”
Root causes can mean addressing mental health, food insecurity, homelessness, and other issues, Stein said.
Simply offering gun buybacks is usually ineffective, as it is costly and often sees people forfeiting old or unused guns. Instead, finding opportunities to educate the public on firearms, or supplying cashbox- sized gun safes are more effective. With such a gun safe, the owner can unlock it quickly if needed, while the safe keeps the gun away from other people who could misuse it, like children or someone who is suicidal, Stein said.
State legislation filed to address gun violence
As a bill addressing gun violence, HB 6667, is being considered in Connecticut, Stein recommended advocating for addressing intercity travel of firearms, and red flag laws. New York state red flag law allows for a court order to be filed to prevent someone from buying or possessing a gun, and/or be made to surrender their guns, if they are an imminent threat to themselves or others. The law has a procedural safeguard to provide due process, the New York state website says.
“Not everyone loves them, but the evidence shows that they save lives,” he said, referring to the red flag laws.
For example, California’s red flag laws have stopped 58 potential mass shootings as of 2022, according to the University of California Davis Health website.
Community organizations can get involved in providing education and opportunities for community discussion, but community groups need to work in coalitions instead of doing separate things when tackling gun violence, Stein said, while explaining his organization’s effort, the Connecticut Initiative.
“You have non-profit groups fighting each other over very little money, instead of all of these groups coming together as a whole, demanding that millions of dollars need to be funded for gun violence prevention,” he said.
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Ending gun violence requires community involvement
Good police work shouldn’t be the only way to get guns off the streets, as community members need to report illegal guns when they see them, Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom said Tuesday.
“When you see suspicious activity on the street, report it,” he said.
While some solutions are coming from the top, others are coming from residents themselves. Sierra Lindsey came to the Monday Norwich City Council meeting. He said his son,19, was a friend and classmate of Norman-Clack’s.
“He’s been down, to say the least,” Lindsey said.
Cynthia Jean-Mary, vice-president of the Greeneville Neighborhood Committee, said the ages of the victim and suspect is close to the ages of her son and his friends, so it hits close to home.
“If we don’t have something for these young adults to do, they’re going to get themselves in trouble,” she said.
Supporting youth is key to ending gun violence
At the meeting, Lindsey was looking for support for his efforts to develop Norwich youth activities, including teaching business and financial skills, finding work opportunities, and just providing someone to listen to the youth in the community.
“Instead of just pointing out the problem, let’s bring some answers to the problem,” he said.
Growing up in a single parent household, it was important for Lindsey to have received job opportunities when he was younger through TVCCA to work at Mohegan Park and the little league fields, he said.
“Seeing that revenue, the value in their lives increases,” he said.
Youth also need to recover from the pandemic’s mental health impact. The Greenville Neighborhood Committee’s events will have more mental health outreach going forward, Jean-Mary said.
“When you see other people going up and talking, it makes you feel comfortable doing it,” she said.
To make efforts effective in the city, communication is needed. Also, offering community youth programs, such as what Lindsey is proposing, in schools as after-school programs is a fiscally responsible way for the city to do so, and solves transportation problems, especially once the new schools are built, Nystrom said.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich response to gun violence after shooting death of Norman-Clack
