By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg says that he is concerned with the rise in gun violence in the County and attributes it to young people coping with the anxiety coming from the affects COVID-19 has placed on our communities.
Satterberg, in a radio interview last week, says the he believes the rise in violence among young people may be caused by the stresses due to the conditions the virus has inflicted on society.
According to Satterberg, social distancing, the changes in our daily routines, working at home, virtual education, and the inability to connect with friends and family all contribute to the anxiety in our youth, escalating conflicts into more serious and violent outcomes.
According to advocates, gun violence inflicts a devastating blow on communities of color, as shootings shatter families and neighborhoods.
Statistics show that homicide is the leading cause of death for African American males between 15 to 34, and the second leading cause of death for Hispanics in the same age group.
“[Gun violence] causes a significant amount pain in our community,” says Satterberg. “Why is that? Well, I think it’s the stress and the anxiety and depression and all of the things that comes along with 2020.”
For the last four years, King County has been keeping track of violent crimes, particularly gun violence, and some of the statistics have shown a significant rise during 2020 in comparison to previous years.
According to Satterberg, 74 percent of victims of gun violence are people of color. 41 percent of people who are shot and who are charged with a shooting are under the age of 25 and concentrated among young people of color. Theses numbers have been consistent since King County began tracking the numbers.
It is the prosecutor’s goal to establish strategies with the help of the community to help curb this violence by more positive interventions and getting ahead of the problems and addressing the root causes.
Leading criminologist Dr. Robert Agnew of Emory University developed what is called the General Strain Theory or GST, which measures the emotional strains that causes violence. Strains result from people losing something of value — money, loved ones, jobs, a way of life due to pandemics, etc. Strains in one’s life can lead to negative emotions such as sadness, depression, anxiety or anger. Satterberg seems to agree with this theory.
“I think violence is an emotion, and it’s what people resort to when they have no other answer for whatever the insult was to their self-esteem to cause them to feel feelings of retribution,” says Satterberg.
There may not be a single solution to solve or end gun violence, but King County believes they have strategies to help manage gun violence. Due to the pandemic, every major city in the U.S. is experiencing the same rise in violence particularly in urban settings and among people of color being African Americans and people of color have been disproportionately affected by the disease. Attorney Generals from across the country are working together to find ways to mitigate and to bring some sense of peace to the streets.
“Solutions to this? I do know, we have strategies, strategies to help us manage it better,” says Satterberg. “I don’t know of any place that has solved gun violence. I was on a national call with District Attorneys from around the country and every major jurisdiction is experiencing what we are but even have much higher rates of violence then we have.”
In major cities like Baltimore, Memphis, Milwaukee, which has gun violence rates that are much higher than Seattle, this has become a major issue. Because of movements like Black Lives Matter the consciousness of America in regards to violence has put governments on notice to find ways to manage or mitigate the root causes by implementing community members and organization to help address this issue. The city and the county are doing all that they can to find ways to help and aid the community to reduce the anxiety of its young people.
Community accountability is one way the county and the community are working together to help bring this issue to a head. The County is working with community organizations to get ahead of the issues that cause our children and young people to act out in such violent ways.
“Speaking for the county government, we want to invest more money to build up community capacity as a strategy,” says Satterberg. “This to intervene with young people particularly people with high risks of violence and try to make a community connection with these individuals which I think is more promising than a law enforcement or courtroom connection.”
Satterberg says that he intends to divert some of the responsibility of his office’s caseloads back into the community as a means of collaboration between the Prosecutor’s Office and the community at-large.
“I have pledged to divert 500 juvenile cases and 1000 felony cases from my office into the community to create a community accountability program,” said Satterberg. “This program will be run by non-profit organizations who can put their own spin on what accountability is and this will help to come up with alternatives to the court process.
Societal ills can cause the rise in negative emotional content, science and law have confirmed this.
As a community, along with government, what can we do to help our children and young adults cope with the ills of growing pains? The violence, in particular gun violence, we see as a result of emotional stress on our youth is alarming. King County and King County’s Prosecutor Dan Satterberg are looking to step up with strategies to help, but it is also up to the community to take responsibility for our youth’s well-being.
