By Anita Weier
Northside News

As local concern grew about recent shootings on the Northside, Alder Charles Myadze, District 18, worked with Public Health Madison Dane County to organize a community safety meeting at Warner Park Community Recreation Center in August.

Several nonprofit organizations and city departments staffed tables to provide information about ways to increase safety and provide services for people with mental health and substance abuse problems. Those present included CARES, a team that responds to nonviolent behavior health emergencies; Focused Interruption, which focuses on solutions to gun violence; and Operation Fresh Start, which helps young people ages 16–24 earn high school diplomas and gain work experience.

The Northside Planning Council and its FEED Kitchens provided food for those attending. FEED provides bakery training for unemployed or underemployed people.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway launched the discussion by thanking community members who attended. “Madison is one of the safest communities in the nation, but the level of gun violence is too high,” she said. “We funded a reform and innovation director for the Madison Police Department so we can better direct our resources, and we provided additional summer programming for young people.”

Police Chief Shon Barnes stressed the importance of agencies working together, such as Public Health, schools and nonprofits.

Alder Myadze said the meeting was vital because it is important to hear from the community. “Thank all of you who are fed up with gun violence, which has plagued America for a very long time,” he said. Noting that a 19-year-old was recently killed on the Northside, he said too many lives have been shattered. “We need to come up with positive solutions and then act,” Myadze said.

A panel discussion followed that included Cheryl Wittke, executive director of Safe Communities; Lindsey Buscher, who volunteers with BeSmart and Moms Demand Action; Aurielle Smith, director of policy planning and evaluation with Public Health Madison Dane County; Anthony Cooper with Focused Interruption and Alder Myadze.

Cooper stressed the importance of working together and getting to know kids in the community. Smith also stressed taking time to get to know people and the resources available in order to get help for someone who is struggling.

Wittke suggested medication lockboxes, which were distributed free at the meeting, and noted that med drops are often conducted by police departments or Black churches to remove the chance of youngsters stealing pills. NARCAN is available to treat those having overdoses, as are test strips to find out whether drugs contain Fentanyl, a particularly dangerous drug.

More information about the services of organizations at this meeting and city and county departments that can help those with concerns about drug safety and gun violence is available online. One good overall information source is PublicHealthMDC.com.