The Gainesville City Commission directed staff to continue toward implementation of its five-year strategic plan for gun violence prevention on Thursday and expressed concerns about the potential of multiple elementary schools to close.  

The city formed the Community Gun Violence Prevention Alliance last year with Alachua County and Santa Fe College. The alliance then hired DPI LLC to create a strategic plan for the next five years. That plan includes objectives, an analysis of strengths and weaknesses, implementation ideas and next steps.  

The plan recommends that the alliance create an implementation roadmap that sets deadlines and responsibilities for objectives over the next five years. 

The strategic plan aims for more than policing and guns. The alliance chose to view gun violence as a public health emergency and the response plan aims to boost social services for the community to improve literacy and ensure strong homes.  

“The community’s shared vision for 2031 goes beyond fewer shootings,” the KPI plan states. “Residents want children who read well, families who feel supported, young men who have mentors and opportunities, and neighborhoods that trust the systems meant to serve them. This plan lays out a path to get there.” 

The strategic objectives were as follows:  

• Deepen and sustain gun violence reduction and firearm-related injuries 

• Institutionalize gun violence prevention across city and county systems 

• Establish a coordinated system of care for school-aged youth 

• Advance healing-centered systems and communities 

• Increase youth voice and leadership 

• Expand reentry pathways and access to employment 

• Advance economic and geographic equity in resource distribution 

• Strengthening family stability and economic mobility supports 

• Enhance cross-sector collaboration and data transparency 

• Increase community capacity and long-term investments 

The report said the alliance needs to bring other stakeholders together, noting the lack of involvement from the business community, UF and Alachua County Public Schools.  

Brittany Coleman, gun violence intervention program manager, said the next steps would include the community ranking the objectives and stakeholders claiming responsibility to take the lead on one or more of the objectives.  

“I really was hoping to see a little bit more in terms of the implementation piece,” Commissioner Desmon Duncan Walker said. “I do understand where we are in the process, but I think it would be helpful for everyone—this commission, the county commission and even the general public—to have at least a bit of an idea as to what you all suggest.” 

Part of the next steps would include funding. Coleman said IMPACT GNV, the staff team leading the city’s efforts, has several short-term positions currently, and the group would also like to see additional roles.  

The Gainesville City Commission asked to add the strategic plan to the joint meeting with Alachua County scheduled for March. Alachua County will receive the same presentation before that joint meeting. 

Commissioners frequently touched on literacy during the gun violence prevention discussion. During commissioner comment, the School Board of Alachua County’s rezoning plans came to the forefront.  

The potential plans could see Gainesville elementary schools close, including Rawlings Elementary and Foster Elementary. 

Both Duncan-Walker and Mayor Harvey Ward said those closures would “upend” the city’s efforts to boost East Gainesville and bring economic development to the area.  

Ward said the school board should delay a final decision until after March and hoped to be able to meet directly with the district staff. He noted that the city and county have invested heavily in some of the areas around the proposed school closures.  

Duncan-Walker said the eastern side of Gainesville can’t even dream of economic development without elementary schools, or with insufficient schools.  

“I’m shaking in my boots at the idea that some young people who already need a little more encouragement to go to school . . . just the idea that a school won’t be there will make them less inclined to go to school at all,” Duncan-Walker said.  

Commissioner Bryan Eastman said it’s easy to criticize from afar. He said the school district has constraints as development continues in West Gainesville and Alachua County. But he said he’d like to be able to understand more of the board’s rationales. 

“But just because you’re in a crisis that you have to respond to doesn’t mean that every response is a good response,” Eastman said.  

The city has an interlocal agreement with the school district that covers coordination, and the commissioners said they’d like to get more information and hear from the school district.