More than 100 law enforcement, school, faith, social service, and other representatives from community organizations attended the 2018 Violence Reduction Summit at Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento Thursday.
The event brought together community leaders to network and discuss ways to prevent and reduce violence across the region.
Sacramento’s Police Chief Daniel Hahn expressed a need for change while addressing the crowd and discussing the police shooting of Stephon Clark.
“We need to be willing to try new things and change the way we do business or else we’ll keep repeating the same old same old,” Hahn said.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg says city leaders are now looking toward the future, working with the police department and community to examine police policies and suggest new ones.
“This has of course been a difficult and challenging several weeks in Sacramento. And there’s a lot of grieving, still, and a lot of pain, and a lot of trauma,” Steinberg said.
Community policing is just one of the tools for solving the issue of violence, said Khaalid Muttaqi, the Director of the City’s Office of Violence Prevention.
Over the last year, the city has invested in 21 organizations that offer a number of youth programs such as art, tutoring, sports, and music.