A few years ago the Recorder published a profile on a local re-entry program that was doing great things in the city. Our reporter did a fantastic job of telling the story and speaking with multiple people directly or indirectly related to the organization. One of the employees who was featured in the article impressed me significantly because her passion and expertise were highly evident. That person was Shonna Majors, the newly announced Community Violence Reduction director.
Crime has been an ongoing problem in Indianapolis for years, but it seems to have intensified recently. Unfortunately, we learn of robberies, homicides and other crimes on an almost daily basis — so much so that even for a newsy such as myself, it has become overwhelming.
During his campaign and the subsequent years after being elected, Mayor Joe Hogsett vowed to fight crime in an innovative way. A man true to his word, he has worked to do just that, particularly with this week’s announcement that Majors will lead the city’s effort to reduce violence on Indianapolis’ streets.
The effort is part of Hogsett’s community-focused public safety strategy, which includes “targeted enforcement of illegally-possessed handguns and the largest investment in neighborhood and community-based anti-crime efforts in more than a decade.”
Majors’ role is to lead the intervention component of the mayor’s anti-violence efforts. Her life experiences and professional expertise uniquely position her to make the most effective impact.
Majors was raised in Indy so she knows the city and understands some of the street codes that often cripple residents from reporting crimes in their neighborhoods. She was a victim of gun violence so she relates to the effects of violence. Majors has a criminology degree, but more significantly, she has a demonstrated history of success in the criminal justice field — from working as a correctional officer to assisting troubled youth and helping ex-offenders successfully transition back into society. Majors also has national experience as she managed multimillion dollar federal grants throughout six states.
Majors’ experiences unequivocally make her the ideal person to lead this new initiative. I appreciate her grassroots credibility and professional acumen, as those two aspects are what it takes to make transformational changes. The fact that she is a woman assuming such a significant role in a male-dominated industry is just icing on the cake.
When the mayor initially announced that the city would launch a search for a director of community violence reduction, there was a lot of buzz in the community. Who would get the position? Would the person be qualified or obtain the position based on some political payback that citizens often speculate about? There were many people who wanted the role…of the ones I know of, some were grossly underqualified, some were grassroots advocates who didn’t have the professional knowledge, and others were astute professionally — but not necessarily relative to criminal justice. Of the individuals who I knew sought the position, Majors was by far the best, most well-rounded and qualified pick. Kudos to the city of Indianapolis for selecting such a viable person!
While Majors is the right person for the job, it doesn’t mean that things will come easy. She has a monumental task before her as she works to reduce violence in the city. One of her primary responsibilities is to serve as a liaison between law enforcement and the community. That in itself is a mammoth task. The minority community — especially many African-Americans have a profound distrust of law enforcement and in many instances, understandably so. On the other hand, not all law enforcement officers are bad, overly aggressive or discriminatory. Bridging the gap between both entities will be a challenge, as Majors will have to walk a fine line on both sides as she works to gain trust in the community while simultaneously implementing strategies to reduce crime.
I chatted with Majors about her new role and she adequately understands the challenges before her.
“It won’t happen overnight,” she told me. “I want to accomplish getting everyone out of their silos so we all can work together. I want to increase safety in the neighborhoods, which means reducing all aspects of violence from domestic to gun control.”
For Majors that includes collaborating with local organizations, talking to young people, and mobilizing various entities in the community.
I am confident Majors will be highly successful in her new role, not only because of her professional abilities, but also because she is so passionate.
“This is not just a job, this is a mission,” said Majors. “If I can touch one life and reduce the homicide rate even minimally, that is success to me.”
