Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
On Saturday, April 10, three-year-old Randell Jones and 16-year-old Ja’mari Preston were killed in separate incidents in Hartford, only blocks apart.
Hartford police have begun to investigate the shootings, and speculation that the two are connected has sparked fear in the community that this indicates that a new wave of local gun violence has begun. Officer Steve Austin, a member of the Hartford Police Department, who knows the family of Randell Jones, and is former supervisor of a special operations group with a specialization in gun violence, said, “Gun violence in Hartford is really localized to a few bad actors. We have a certain few guys who commit about 85% of our gun violence.”
Officer Austin said that, although Hartford, consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in the country, its reputation as an unsafe city is unwarranted. “Homicides in the city haven’t had an increase over the past few years,” he said. The rate “has actually stayed relatively constant. These events have just garnered more public outcry and attention.”
Ms. Artisena Hill, a Hartford resident who describes herself as “a concerned citizen,” said, “People come together, and they show their concern and they grieve and mourn together, and yet it’s not enough to keep it from happening.” She went on, “It’s an unfortunate thing that it does happen a little too often. We almost get numb to it.”
In December, after it was revealed that several veteran officers had been betting on where the city’s first homicide of the new year would occur, residents of the city began to lose trust in their police department. After the events of April 10, lawmakers and other community leaders decided it was time to take considerable action.
Senator Christopher Murphy, a Democrat, recently released a statement in which he pledged to continue working on passing a bill that requires background checks for gun buyers. The statement read, in part, “My heart breaks for Randell Jones, Ja’mari Preston, their families, and the Hartford community. Every death that results from gun violence is a preventable tragedy, and the loss of these boys at such a young age is both a gut-punch and a reminder that lawmakers must act.”
In a similar statement, Democratic Congressman John Larson emphasized that “we must come together to tackle the systemic issues that lead to this violence.” His plan calls for collaboration with groups such as Mothers United Against Violence (MUAV) and Hartford Communities That Care (HCTC), two prominent local organizations that aim to provide front-line resources and services to the communities in the wake of tragedy.
Mothers United Against Violence is a “faith-based voice of hope bringing families spiritual support and advocating for justice.” Founded in 2003 by Reverend Henry Brown and Henrietta Beckmen, the organization works to combat violence, poverty, and undereducation in the Hartford community. Reverend Brown said that, in his nearly twenty years of working with the organization, the recent shootings are the worst he has witnessed in the community.
Hartford Communities That Care, is a violence prevention program whose mission is to create a non-violent and drug-free community for city residents. The non-profit has a partnership with St. Francis Hospital in order to be among the first responders to violent crimes. To address violence in Hartford, the organization provides resources such as what to do in the aftermath of a fatal event; crisis support, mental health and trauma counselling and education, and academic and workforce needs of community members.
Both organizations were present at a candlelight vigil held for Randell Jones on April 12. More than 100 people gathered in front of a storefront in Hartford’s historic North End neighborhood to commemorate his life.
Although she wasn’t in attendance at the vigil, Ms. Hill said, “You always see some type of memorial on the side of the road wherever things happen. People will put balloons and flowers and candles and all of that, and yet it doesn’t seem to stop them from happening.”
Reverend Brown spoke at the service, saying, “We’ve been talking about people dying in these streets for 20 years and people are still dying.” He added, “We have to stand up and say ‘no more,’ we can’t stand this no more … If this doesn’t bring us together then nothing will.”
