WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is working to show how federal dollars are helping cities and police departments manage crime while also providing for job opportunities for youth in communities affected by that violence.
Biden is expected to speak Wednesday afternoon about how his American Rescue plan has helped Detroit pay for bonuses and hire 200 additional officers, Milwaukee fund gun crime investigations and Chicago better focus on community violence intervention efforts.
Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, is hosting a roundtable later in the day on $85 million in federal grants meant to improve job opportunities for youth in communities affected by gun violence and crime.
The president is seeking to show he is tough on crime and compassionate to those communities affected by crime as the 2024 election heats up and Republicans criticize the Democrat.
Violent crime across the nation rose following the pandemic. But despite Republican claims that it’s continuing to rise, crime decreased in 2022, dropping to about the same level as before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a ccording to the most recent FBI crime data. The exception is property crime.
The cities that have benefited from federal funding include Detroit, which invested more than $100 million for public safety, and in 2023 it had the fewest homicides since 1966; 18% fewer than 2022, the White House said. In Chicago, a city often cited as one with a gun violence problem, the city used $100 in federal funding for public safety and community violence intervention efforts that target communities at the highest risk for violence. The city saw a 13% drop in homicides last year and nonfatal shootings also declined, the White House said.
Biden has called gun violence “the ultimate superstorm,” affecting not just victims but the everyday lives of community members. His administration says the response should better resemble how the government acts after natural disasters.
“It’s clear that with gun violence now being the number one cause of premature death for all youth in America, that we must take an all-of-government public health approach to address this crisis,” said Greg Jackson, deputy director of the White House office of gun violence prevention.
Jackson said the grants to communities will help provide key resources for community organizations and government leaders and will invest in those most at risk for violence. He said it was a way to address both “the lack of economic opportunity and the crisis of gun violence.”
The grants will be open to nonprofits, governments and civic leaders to fund education, skills training and paid work experience. The money is being made available through the Labor Department’s employment and training administration.