KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A woman who lives in the 2200 block of Denver Avenue in Kansas City was too afraid to speak on camera.
That block of Kansas City has the most concentrated amount of violent crime in the entire city, and the woman fears for her safety.
“I’m scared to sit in my living room right here,” the woman said, describing life in the area as “hell.”
Brandy, who also lives in the area, is a concerned mother of three who oftentimes keeps her kids inside.
“They should be able to run around the yard and play,” Brandy said.
Kate Brubacher, an assistant district attorney in the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, wants to find a way to make Brandy’s wish a reality.
“It’s really disheartening in some ways,” Brubacher said. “One mother was saying that she didn’t want her children to play in the front yard, or that she had them sleep on the floor because she was worried about drive bys and how often they hear gunshots.”
About two years ago, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the Kansas City Police Department received grants from the Department of Justice.
“Based on police data, we have identified five areas of intense violence within the urban core,” Brubacher said. One of those areas is along Denver Avenue.
The goals of the grant are twofold - Reduce gun violence in Kansas City and create a blueprint for crime fighting that can be rolled out across the city, and possibly beyond.
“It’s data driven,” Brubacher explains. “There are researchers behind it, and scholars behind it.”
The grant helps Brubacher and her team hold absentee landlords accountable. In some cases, blighted homes will be demolished.
Prosecutors are being given the option to divert less violent crimes to restorative justice. A mediation between the victims and offenders via the Center for Conflict Resolutions is an example.
Prosecutors will also implement what’s called vertical prosecution, meaning the same attorney will handle a case from start to finish. That way crime victims don’t have to tell their stories over and over.
Finally, the grant implements something called geographic prosecution, where prosecutors spend more times in the communities they serve, building a rapport with law abiders and stronger cases against law breakers.
“By an accident of birth, we all are where we are,” Brubacher said. “And my kids can sleep in their beds. They don’t have to sleep on the floor, so I’d like to do what I can to help the families there.”
Prosecutors say it will end up as more than just putting theories into motion.
Researchers at Cal State Fullerton are analyzing the data and will have a detailed report for prosecutors and police by Fall 2019.
