Introduction

When we consider the root causes of inequities that exist in our communities, it is critical that we consider the impact of violence and resulting trauma. The epidemic of gun violence - and particularly mass shootings - has dominated the national conversation about violence and how we respond to it, but the violence impacting our communities takes many forms, including sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and violence against immigrants and the LGBTQ community. And violence, regardless of type, invariably results in trauma - for those directly impacted, family, friends, and others in the community.

As a survivor of sexual violence, I understand, on a personal level, the lasting challenges associated with trauma; research from the Violence Policy Center tells us that trauma as a result of exposure to violence can lead to a range of negative outcomes, including “symptoms expressed both internally, such as depression and anxiety, and externally, such as aggressive and violent behavior.”[1] For communities disproportionately impacted by violence - including women and girls, minority communities, and low-income communities - the collective impact of violence-related trauma can create significant inequities in health outcomes, educational attainment, and economic opportunity. While violent crime rates in the City of Boston have fallen from historic highs, neighborhoods like Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan still experience a disproportionate amount of the violence that takes place in the City,[2] and communities like Chelsea have some of the highest violent crime rates in the state.[3] It is no coincidence that these communities are also dealing with greater challenges than some of their neighbors when it comes to public health, educational attainment, and economic opportunity.

On the Boston City Council, I have been intentional about shining a light on the experiences that lead to trauma, and challenges faced by those who are continuing to deal with it - including families impacted by gun violence, children who are exposed to violence at home or at school, and women and girls who are victims of sexual and domestic violence. At the federal level, we need policies that seek to prevent the kind of violence that leads to trauma - including gun violence, sexual violence, and hate crimes - and we need policies that support those who have been impacted by violence, in order to break the vicious cycle of trauma that perpetuates further violence and corrodes opportunity.