Durham considers ‘Office of Survivor Care’ for gun violence victims, families
Durham minister Allen Jones lost his grandson, TJ, when he was just 18.
TJ was shot to death in a nearby city, and when his parents arrived at the crime scene, their boy had already been taken to the medical examiner. Police investigators were waiting to speak with them.
“He was no longer theirs. TJ was now evidence in a criminal investigation,” Jones told the Durham City Council on Tuesday. “TJ’s murder became a legal abstraction that only compounded the pain.”
That June day was the start of an isolating journey, where grief tangled with loneliness, shame and desperation. Jones said his son, TJ’s father, was forever changed.
“He was fragile and angry. He wanted revenge,” Jones said. “Like so many survivors I know, my son died prematurely with a body burdened and sickened by lament.”
It’s an experience community leaders hope to change in Durham by creating an Office of Survivor Care.
The office would support victims of violent crime and their families as they navigate grief and the criminal justice system.
“It really represents a transformative response by directing city funds to a long absent space dedicated to meeting and supporting survivors in the wake of harm,” said Marcia Owen, who helped champion the proposal before the council Tuesday.
So far this year, 204 people have been shot in Durham, 42 of them fatally, according to the most recent data from the Durham Police Department.
The recommendation emerged from the work of the Durham Community Safety and Wellness Task Force, commissioned in 2021 by the city, county and school system.
- They estimate a three-year pilot will cost around $1 million. Part of that may be reimbursed with state money.
They’ve proposed housing the office in the city’s Community Safety Department, which also runs HEART, a program that sends unarmed responders on certain crisis calls.
Task force members encouraged city leaders to move quickly to combat the spread of gun violence through Durham communities.
“The clock is ticking,” Sam Scarborough said. “I believe that hurt people hurt people, and at the same time, healed people heal people.”
Council members were supportive. The city manager begins drafting a budget in January.
- Mark your calendars: The first public hearing for residents to speak on the budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 18, in City Hall.
This story was originally published December 20, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
