D6 Councilwoman: Violence Prevention Strategic Plan is a Critical Step

Published on February 21, 2023

D6 Councilwoman Calls the City’s Violence Prevention Strategic Plan a Decisive Step in a Critical Moment

SAN ANTONIO (February 21, 2023) –The City Council's Public Safety Committee received a briefing today by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District on the collaborative development of a Metro Health Violence Prevention Strategic Plan. Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, issued the following statement:
 
“This is the first step of a new approach to safety in our community. San Antonio is at a pivotal moment. The community is growing, and tomorrow's safety depends on the steps taken today. This plan sets a path towards that end. 
 
This plan spreads the load through a public health perspective; it adds the resources of the Metropolitan Health Department to address crime and violence at their source.
 
There is still a lot of work to do in preventing violence. This plan is the first in a series of steps in a crime prevention continuum that goes from preventing violence before it happens, to preventing repeat violence after it happens. Public safety is public health, and public health is mental health, economic development, education, and opportunity. When we broaden our approach to public safety, we put ourselves on track to address all these things through a public safety lens.
 
I’m concerned for the safety of those who have special needs, the undocumented, the LGBTQIA community, and other vulnerable populations. The Public Safety Committee will continue to be a guide and sounding board to ensure safety equity to everyone in San Antonio.
 
The plan outlined today is a decisive step in a critical moment.”