Injury and Gun Violence
How common is gun violence in the United States?
Watch Vox’s “Think US Gun Violence is Bad?” (1) - (7min)
How does violence vary by neighborhood?
Watch CNN’s “The Disappearing Front Porch” (2) - (5 videos, 5min total)
Is violence a public health issue?
Watch epidemiologist Gary Slutkin’s TedTalk “Let’s Treat Violence like a Contagious Disease” (3) - (14min)
How does public policy affect self-injury and suicide?
Watch Healthcare Triage’s “Firearms and Suicide: Guns and Public Health Part 3” (4) - (6min)
If you’re interested, check out the rest of this online series. Part 1 discusses the history of gun policy in America, Part 2 discusses homicide, and Part 4 discusses what types of gun laws are effective.
How can public health policy address violence?
Listen to NPR’s “Treat Gun Violence Like a Public Health Crisis” (5) - (4min)
Geographies of Interest
Washington Heights and Inwood, NYC
While the violent assault rate in Washington Heights in lower than the citywide rate, accidents are the 9th leading cause of death in the community (6). Further, Washington Heights has one of the higher New York neighborhood rates of suicide at 66 over two years, compared to 22 in Central Harlem and 11 in Lower Manhattan during the same time period (6).
Harlem, NYC
The violent assault rate in Central Harlem is more than twice the rate in Manhattan at 130 per 100,000 compared to 51 per 100,000 (6). In New York City, young Black men between 15 and 24-years-old experience the highest burden of gun violence and injury (7). The Central Harlem firearm assault hospitalization rate amongst 15-24 year olds is nearly triple the citywide average (104.4 per 100,000 compared to 36.4 per 100,000) (7). At Harlem Hospital specifically, 62% of gunshot wound admissions were for individuals under the age of 24 (8).
If I am interested in this topic, where can I learn more?
Listen to Hidden Brain podcast “’The Thumbprint of Culture’: Implicit Bias and Police Shootings (9) - (38min)
This podcast explores the research behind implicit bias and police shooting, as well as discusses what measures police departments can take to reduce the impact of implicit bias on police action.
This podcast describes 3 different police-involved shooting videos and how those videos are affecting the police and civilians in the community.
Watch Frontline Documentary “The Interrupters” (11) - (115min)
This documentary explores the violence interrupter program in Chicago.
Listen to This American Life 2-part podcast “Harper High School” (12) - (57 and 62min)
This 2-part podcast series covers 5 months at Harper High School in Chicago, where 29 students were shot in one year. They interview students and faculty members about living with gun violence and gangs.
Listen to More Perfect’s podcast “The Gun Show”(13) - (69min)
This podcast outlines the history of gun laws and the 2nd amendment in the Supreme Court. It discusses how the right to bear arms became part of the American discourse.
Listen to The Daily’s 5-part podcast “Charm City” (14) - (25min each)
This podcast discusses the history of police violence, including how it impacted on family, in Baltimore.
Sources
1. Lopez, German. “Think US gun violence is bad? A new study suggests it's even worse than we think.” Vox, Vox, 28 Apr. 2016, www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11520950/gun-violence-america-shotspotter.
2. The disappearing front porch. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2016/12/us/chicago-disappearing-front-porch/index.html
3. Slutkin, G. Let's treat violence like a contagious disease. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_slutkin_let_s_treat_violence_like_a_contagious_disease
4. thehealthcaretriage. “Firearms and Suicide: Guns and Public Health Part 3.” YouTube, YouTube, 21 Aug. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=75alYlGCecc.
5. Treat Gun Violence Like A Public Health Crisis, One Program Says. (2017, March 08). Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=519068305
6. New York City Community Health Profiles. Retrieved February 21, 2017, from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/data/data-publications/profiles.page#mn
7. Firearm Deaths and Injuries in New York City. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/ /pdf/2013/firearms_report.pdf
8. HARLEM HOSPITAL CENTER - nychealthandhospitals.org. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from http://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/harlem/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/08/chna-harlem-2013.pdf
9. Schmidt, Jennifer, et al. “The 'Thumbprint Of The Culture': Implicit Bias And Police Shootings.” NPR, NPR, 5 June 2017, www.npr.org/2017/06/05/531578107/the-thumbprint-of-the-culture-implicit-bias-and-police-shootings.
10. McEvers, Kelly, and Tom Dreisbach. “Police Videos Aren't Going Away. How Can We Learn From Them?” NPR, NPR, 25 Mar. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/03/25/521102557/police-videos-arent-going-away-how-can-we-learn-from-them.
11. The Interrupters. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/interrupters/
12. Harper High School - Part One. (2018, January 31). Retrieved January 31, 2018, from https://www.thisamericanlife.org/487/harper-high-school-part-one
13. The Gun Show - More Perfect - WNYC Studios. Retrieved February 04, 2018, from https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/gun-show/
14. Tavernise, S. (2018, June 04). Introducing 'Charm City,' a 5-Part Audio Series from 'The Daily'. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/04/podcasts/the-daily/charm-city-baltimore-freddie-gray.html