Flint Mayor Declares State of Emergency Due to Gun Violence

Gun violence in Flint is out of control and Mayor Sheldon Neeley agrees. That's why early today during a press conference he declared a state of emergency against gun violence in the city of Flint.

What does this mean?

It means that the city will be able to provide a high level of resources to address gun violence in the city. According to MLive, the state of emergency will allow the city to tap into additional money in the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill signed into law by President Joe Biden in March to further combat gun violence in Flint.

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An emergency response team that was appointed by Mayor Neeley will include special law enforcement training officers and detectives, a medical professional, child advocate professional, resource coordinator, social worker and community activist liaison. The team will be led by Flint Police Det. Sergeant Tyrone Booth.

Mayor Sheldon Neeley:

When an officer gets a call to a violent gun crime, that officer then will make an assessment and then make a call back to dispatch. A commander will then make a decision to engage the (emergency response) team.

The city has seven days to operate under this emergency declaration with additional resources.

Their plan is also to hire at least 20 more law enforcement positions at the Flint Police Department. This is something that the city's been desperately in need of for some time now.

It's no secret that gun violence is on the rise in Flint. As a matter of fact, there were 39 homicides already this year with non-fatal shootings rising to 80%. You can't turn on the news without hearing about some form of gun violence in the city.