Mayor Says “We Have a Gun Violence Crisis in Kalamazoo’

Mayor Anderson has released a statement decrying the recent outbreak of violent crime and calls for all of us to be a part of the solution.

Kalamazoo has been uneasy since two separate fatal shootings on July 22 followed a weekend filled with gun violence. Violent crime statistics in Kalamazoo are more than twice the national average halfway through 2020. Now, leadership is speaking out. At the Kalamazoo City Commission meeting on August 3rd, Mayor David Anderson called the recent crime surge a "crisis" and said although other cities in Michigan are going through the same thing, it is unacceptable here. He released a statement that reads, in part,

Every resident has a right to expect that, no matter what neighborhood they call home, it will be a safe place for them and their families. The tragic, senseless and horrific deaths and shootings are devastating events for the entire community. It is a profound loss for children, for mothers, for family, for friends, for neighborhoods and our City.

-Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson

The solution, Mayor Anderson contends, is inside all of us, offering "hope, belief and trust" as the keys to making this a better place to live. Read his full statement below.