JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There were 108 murders in Jacksonville in 2021. City leaders believe the impact of those murders has affected countless other people in our community.
A citizen-led group hopes to bring awareness about the impact that violent crime has on mental health within our community. They also hope to bring residents of Jacksonville crucial mental health resources.
"Unaddressed mental health problems can have a negative influence on homelessness, safety and the local economy," Dr. Constance Hall, chairwoman of Jacksonville City Council's Safety and Crime Reduction Commission, said.
Hall and her organization hope to end the stigma around mental health as part of a crime reduction initiative.
"This mental health campaign will continue throughout the year to show that mental health is as important as physical health," Hall explained.
The goals of the campaign were shared at First Baptist Church of Oakland.
Pastor Christopher McKee Jr. believes many young people develop mental health issues because they are often witness to traumatic scenes and don't have the resources to process what they see.
"It's critical that there be a disruption, it's critical that there be an acknowledgement that this does not have to be your normal," McKee Jr. said. "It may have become normal to you, but it does not have to be, and it can be disrupted and a lot of that has to deal with addressing mental and emotional pain and trauma. Overwhelmingly, many people make negative decisions because they have unprocessed trauma and hopefully the opportunity to break that up for young people is something we can do."
JTA has partnered with this cause and will have messaging on busses that go throughout the community.
Nathaniel Ford Sr., CEO of JTA says many of his employees dealt with mental health stresses during the pandemic. He is also proud to join a cause that helps the people of Jacksonville.
"Many of us were able to work remotely while they [JTA employees like bus drivers and maintenance technicians] were there every day," Ford Sr., said "helping first responders, helping folks working in the hospitals get to work so they could support us."
The next step is to put a plan into action.
Saturday February 26th the first community bus tour stop will be held at Church of Oakland (1025 Jessie Street). In addition to fun activities, mental health experts will also be on hand to speak with kids and community members about the importance of mental health and coping with violence that they might witness in their everyday life.
The goal is to break a cycle of trauma before it develops into violence.