Gun Violence: About this series

Now known worldwide for the city’s poisoned water crisis, Flint beforehand was known as one of the most violent municipalities in the nation. 

Total numbers of Flint resident homicides and gun-related crimes compels us at Flint Beat to look at this city’s other crisis. We research and report what community members and leaders did or are still doing to solve this problem and what other working solutions exist in other cities against gun violence.

Flint Beat looks at violence as a public health issue and is taking a solutions journalism approach to tackling this issue in the best interest of the community.

We began working on the Flint Beat Gun Violence project in June 2018 with funding from the Solutions Journalism Network. And we will continue to work on solutions pieces focused on gun violence throughout the year.

We’re reporting solutions that are currently being implemented in Flint and solutions that are being used in other cities that potentially can be implemented. Some being more feasible than others, it is however not Flint Beat’s goal to make decisions on what will or will not work to stop gun violence in the city. We are only introducing approaches and solutions of this ongoing problem.

(This project was supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. And also supported by The Trace who provided data and content support.)