Trauma: Beyond the Crime | A call for change as violence persists in the DMV
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — As the year draws to a close, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia continue to grapple with rising violence.
In Trauma: Beyond the Crime, DC News Now delves into the stories of those affected by the trauma and violence, how community leaders are working towards change and the resources that are either available or needed to combat this pervasive issue.
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Rising Violent Crime
The rising wave of violence has become an undeniable reality in our communities, prompting urgent questions about how to break the cycle. Across the DMV, the narrative remains consistent.
“Today, people settle their arguments and disagreements with guns,” a spokesperson from the Woodbridge Police Department said during a press conference earlier this year.
Across state lines in Maryland, Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz echoed similar sentiments.
We’re past the point where it’s getting out of hand. It’s gotten out of hand,” he said.
The rising tide of violent crime, particularly involving young individuals, prompts community leaders to react with confusion and outrage
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Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a recent press conference, “We don’t tolerate people using guns and killing our children.”
Crime involving kids tops the list of concerns for the community, and rising numbers back up that concern. In Montgomery County, Maryland, violent crime involving young people has surged by 95 percent since 2019. In 2023 alone, the District arrested 458 minors for violent crime in the first nine months of the year alone.
2023 also saw a rise in carjackings in many parts of the DMV. In Montgomery County, there was a 41 percent increase; in Prince George’s County, there was a 19 percent increase; and in the District, there was an increase of over 100 percent, with almost 1,000 vehicles stolen.
In Fairfax County, Virginia, there was a 10 percent decrease in carjackings in 2023.
As community leaders grapple with finding solutions, Maryland and District officials came together to implement a carjacking task force. Both Maryland and District leaders put curfews in place for juveniles, and city/county councils are actively working on legislative measures to put a stop to crime. Yet, the cycle of crime and death persists.
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Breaking the Cycle: Youth Advocates in Action
Abdur-Rahmaan Kelly, a dedicated youth advocate, vividly recalls his first encounter with the harsh reality of violence.
Those who grew up within the cycles of violence often find themselves susceptible to perpetuating the pattern, a driving factor in shaping their life choices.
“My first time seeing somebody get shot, I was five years old,” he said.
Nearly two decades later, Kelly is committed to ensuring that other children do not have to endure the same traumatic experience.
“You’ve got to pick, either you can be a product of your environment or you can be the product in your environment and try to be, you know, part of the solution,” he asserts.
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For Kelly, part of the solution involves leveraging the power of music to reach the younger generation.
“I’ve seen the influence of powers that artists can have,” Kelly explained. “We’ve got to find a way to disrupt that whole matrix.”
His commitment extends beyond music, as he actively volunteers with community organizations and violence interruption programs.
Kelly is not alone in this endeavor. Selena Mathis, another youth advocate, focuses on intervention and connecting with individuals her age or younger to provide essential resources.
“It’s about meeting these young individuals where they are, understanding their struggles, and providing tangible resources,” Mathis explains.
Now 24 years old, Mathis has been working in a peer support role since her late teens, driven by the desire to make a difference in the lives of her peers.
“Most people my age, in other environments, probably will be doing something totally different with their time,” she said.
However, Mathis acknowledged that her journey has been marked by experiences that many could never fathom.
“My breaking point would have to have been me seeing someone else die in front of me, holding their hand, having people close to me pass away due to violence,” she said.
These memories, though painful, serve as powerful motivators for both Kelly and Mathis to bring about change.
“I just really want to live a normal life, and I want people around me to know what that feels like,” Mathis expressed.
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Kelly emphasized the generational aspect of the issue, linking it to poverty and other systemic challenges.
“This is like a generational thing. And I feel like the root cause of everything is still, you know, poverty and everything else,” he stated.
While they understand that they can’t single-handedly provide a solution, both advocates believe in the strength of community collaboration.
“I’m somebody who’s actually from this environment. So now I can do what I want where I don’t have to be that stereotypical person. And that way just showing them like, you don’t have to be either,” Kelly said.
Mathis echoes the sentiment, emphasizing the fulfillment she finds in reaching out to at-risk youth.
“Just reaching out to people who are at risk or youth my age to be able to connect them with resources. I feel like it fulfills me,” she said.
Getting to Kids Early
In the ongoing effort to foster a safer and more vibrant community, understanding the available resources and the individuals actively working for change is crucial.
One nonprofit advocate, Government and Community Relations Expert Sharece Crawford, stands out for her commitment to reaching young individuals before they are old enough to seek out resources on their own. Crawford makes a significant impact on kids early, demonstrating to them that they have a choice.
Crawford vividly recalls experiencing gun violence as early as eight years old, surviving an incident on her front porch. She said the traumatic experience left her feeling hopeless.
Sadly, Crawford said the violence seemed like a normal part of life.
“The first thing I did was I realized that this was not the life I wanted because it was so dominant to see violence and crime culture,” Crawford reflected on her realization.
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As someone once considered an at-risk youth, Crawford now dedicates herself to identifying others in similar situations and helping them see that they too can choose a different path.
“You just really first have to decide and then believe that there is something better for you,” Crawford emphasized.
In her role as a government and community relations expert, Crawford focuses first on meeting basic human needs and building self-esteem within the community.
“How do we create a safe space to make someone feel good enough about themselves to want to show up and speak up?” she asked.
Crawford facilitates confidence-building measures by collaborating with community partners to offer free haircuts and working with schools to ensure kids have balanced meals. These initiatives aim to make the kids feel seen and special.
“We have to do an equally creative job at amplifying the young people that are crying out for support as we show up and cry out for the young people in their disease, in their transition,” she said.
“This is where we are sort of The Avengers now, teaming up to say that we’ve got your back, that we’re here for you, that you’re not in this alone, that we can support your families,” Crawford explained.
It’s this type of comprehensive support that Crawford believes leads to vulnerability and, with that vulnerability, the potential for choice and meaningful change. In her efforts, Crawford exemplifies the transformative impact that early intervention can have on the lives of at-risk youth.
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Bridging the Gap: Uniting Communities Against Violence
On the frontlines of the battle against community violence, you’ll find individuals deeply affected by its impact. For them, the struggle is personal, and they emphasize the need to bridge the gap between communities, fostering a true united front against violence.
In some neighborhoods, scenes with police sirens, caution tape and shell casings are a regular appearance. Meanwhile, in others, the tranquility of a quiet street prevails. This difference in these lived experiences often dictates the level of attention communities dedicate to instigating change.
Clinical social worker and psychotherapist, Brooke Bralove, highlights a stark reality, saying, “Until violence comes to upper northwest, to Bethesda, to Chevy Chase, people don’t care. They really don’t.”
Bralove attributes this lack of concern to a fundamental absence of empathy.
Selena Mathis, a youth advocate who grew up surrounded by violence, echoes this sentiment, expressing, “It makes me feel like we’re still separated. If we can’t come together on certain issues and empathize with one another, then how are we really moving together as one?”
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Bralove and Mathis propose a solution: learning and sharing experiences.
Mathis urged people to step out of their comfort zones, saying, “Do come to this side of town. Do spend your time here, see what goes on. See people who experience, do certain types of things, talk to them.”
“When you have someone who is sharing their story right in front of you, and you can feel their emotion, that develops empathy,” Bralove said, emphasizing the power of personal narratives. “So, I do think that people sharing their personal stories is extremely important.”
Mathis underscores the importance of inclusivity, emphasizing that everyone must be involved. She believes that once everyone is fighting for the same common goal, other aspects of the city will shine.
“There’s more to DC. We have wonderful food, great music, great people. There’s so much to see downtown, there’s so much to see in our environment,” Mathis concluded, envisioning a future where unity and empathy pave the way for a safer, more vibrant community.
Explaining the Trauma Cycle: Unraveling the Roots of Violence
One pressing question lingers in the minds of many: How did violence become such a pervasive issue in the community?
Clinical social worker and psychotherapist Brooke Bralove shed light on a crucial factor that not only explains why violence happens but also why it persists — deep-rooted trauma.
“There are many different kinds of violence,” Bralove explained.
Physical violence, sexual violence, emotional violence, and even the threat of violence all leave behind lasting trauma. When discussing trauma and violence, she emphasizes the prevalence of intergenerational trauma: wounds passed down through generations, repeatedly opened with no relief in sight.
Residents expressed feelings of a profound lack of safety, with one sharing, “You can’t go home safe, you can’t go to the movies safe, you can’t go nowhere and be safe.”
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This perpetual fear triggers a fight-or-flight response that often manifests as more violence.
Selena Mathis, a youth advocate who grew up surrounded by violence, elaborated on the challenge of feeling safe, stating, “We don’t normally feel safe. We kind of feel like safety comes after the conflict. So in the midst of conflict or trouble happening, you have to figure out a way to keep yourself safe.”
This lifestyle is simplified to a stark choice: “Help yourself or be eaten,” as described by Mathis. In communities where violence is normalized, vulnerability is not an option.
Bralove added, “People growing up in communities where violence is a normal part of life cannot show vulnerability. It’s not safe.”
In an attempt to shield themselves from further violence and trauma, individuals may, ironically, become perpetrators of violence. Tomeka Watson Lewis of Mute the Violence D.C. emphasizes that not all of these individuals are inherently bad, but are often overexposed and underexposed to the support they need.
The trauma cycle perpetuates as individuals suppress their true feelings, fearing the consequences of being vulnerable.
As Selena Mathis noted, “If you feel or if you begin to feel feelings, you might go into a deep hole because you’ve been putting off your feelings for a while.”
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Mental Health Needs: Navigating the Gaps in Trauma Support
The cycle of trauma deeply embedded in the community brings to light a critical need for mental health services. Residents who have grown up in the community and dedicated years to expanding resources emphasize that the demand far exceeds the available support.
When someone experiences trauma, one of the initial steps is processing that trauma.
Clinical social worker and psychotherapist Brooke Bralove illustrated, “You have a gunshot wound. Let’s bring a social worker in.”
This social worker plays a crucial role in the immediate aftermath, ensuring stability before someone returns home. However, the first hurdle to true healing arises at this point.
“And then they’re just released with no follow-up, no good referrals,” Bralove noted, emphasizing the lack of resources rather than a deficiency in care or dedication from professionals.
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Ashley McHenry, a victim’s specialist with D.C. Police Victim’s Services, identifies the primary barrier for those seeking help is the scarcity of resources.
McHenry explained, “Resources are tapped. The time frame to access resources can be 30 to 60 days, and that’s frustrating because when you need help, you need it right then and there.”
For individuals in need, life doesn’t pause while waiting for support.
“If they have to wait six weeks to eight weeks to get an appointment, life has kicked in, and they’re moving past this,” McHenry explains.
Financial constraints add another layer, as immediate mental health assistance comes at a high cost.
“Mental health is expensive in this country,” said Bralove. “So the people who desperately need it have no access. And if they do, it’s very brief.”
McHenry echoed this sentiment, highlighting the irony that those with the financial means to wait 60 days likely wouldn’t need the resources in the first place.
This frustration compounds the trauma already present in a community accustomed to being overlooked.
Selena Mathis remarked, “Help is not always something that the Black community or this community relies on.” However, ensuring timely and continuous access to support could make all the difference.
Bralove emphasized the need for ongoing efforts: “You’ve got to provide education and resources. And this work is not just one and done. It’s ongoing.”
Addressing the mental health needs of the community requires a comprehensive and sustained approach that acknowledges the challenges and works toward lasting solutions.
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Long-Term Impacts of Violence: Navigating Unseen Wounds
Stories of violence top headlines in the immediate aftermath, and then are slowly overshadowed by other, more recent stories. Still, the pain from these incidents remains and lives are changed forever.
Over one year and a half after three men were shot and killed by their coworker at a concrete manufacturing plant in western Maryland, the victims’ families were still grappling with how to move on.
Two of the victims’ loved ones sat down with DC News Now to explain how their pain still feels fresh.
“It’s very raw here. And it probably will be for a good while,” said Angie Frye, who lost her husband, Mark, in the mass shooting.
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The pain is as fresh as the day it happened for Angie — and she’s not alone. Taylor Toms lost her boyfriend, Joshua Wallace, in the same shooting.
“You try to get up every day because you don’t want anyone to know that you’re just not okay. But it’s like you’re trying to convince yourself you’re okay,” Taylor said.
Both Taylor and Angie struggle daily to get through life. Routine activities, like grocery shopping, end in tears and anxiety attacks. As time moves on, the burden of their pain weighs heavily on them, making it hard not to feel like a burden to those around them.
“People say they understand, but they don’t. They really don’t understand,” Taylor said. “You’re basically alone dealing with your emotions, dealing with your own grieving because you don’t want to burden anyone else with it.”
Talking with a therapist has been beneficial for Angie.
“It helps sometimes just to go in and talk to someone who is not judgmental, who knows that I’m not going to be over things quickly,” she shared.
For Taylor, focusing on work, such as doing hair and playing Sudoku, brings some normalcy, but the pain persists.
“It’s really hard trying to move forward when you don’t even know where you’re going,” she added.
The anxiety lingers, the pain endures — and for both of them, waking up from their worst nightmare remains elusive.
While death certainly has a lasting impact on victims and their loved ones, violence and trauma stick with people even if there’s just a moment where they fear for their lives.
One parent shared with DC News Now how her family sees impacts over a year after her oldest child found herself in the crosshairs during a school shooting.
Terror and chaos unfolded in the Van Ness neighborhood of Northwest D.C. in the spring of 2022, as a sniper shot hundreds of rounds of ammo at community members and into a high school. The entire incident was live-streamed on the internet from his point of view.
“It was like living this dream that was a nightmare,” recalls Laura Evans, whose family hasn’t completely moved on from the nightmare over a year and a half later. Her daughter, still afraid, nearly didn’t come home that day, finding herself in the crosshairs.
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While Laura’s daughter didn’t get hit, her classmate did. “(She called) me and (said) there was glass everywhere raining down on me, there was glass going into my mouth. I have cuts on my arm,” shares Evans.
After several hours, Evans and her husband got their daughter back safe and sound, but the trauma hits randomly, haunting them to this day. “It was a year later, just a few weeks ago, that I crumbled,” she said.
Focusing on the role of a mom, Evans let her own healing fall to the side. “I had so many people say to me, make sure you’re taking care of yourself, too. And I don’t think I appropriately did,” she confesses.
The trauma extended to the younger brothers, who had their own breakdowns as the year went on. “It’s impacted my other kids, too. You know, they watched what she went through. And when they have these active shooter drills, it brings it to life for them,” she explained.
A mix of therapy, time, and open conversation has helped along the way. “I see that time has helped heal. She’s been in a lot of therapy, and that’s really helped her. It’s talking about it.”
Talking has helped Evans and her husband, but she acknowledges there’s more work to be done on the journey to fully heal. Navigating the unseen wounds left by violence requires not only time but also a commitment to open dialogue and support, ensuring that those affected receive the care they need to move forward.
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A Healing Journey: Navigating Moral Injury
Healing is a journey that everyone is on, and for some, it involves addressing internal guilt over the way a situation unfolded.
In the midst of chaos, people react, and upon reflection, they might feel a sense of guilt for something they did or didn’t do. This phenomenon is known as moral injury, representing an internal struggle that can take years to recognize, let alone recover from. If left unacknowledged, moral injury can significantly influence how individuals live their lives moving forward.
Accepting the way a situation unfolded is crucial for healing from moral injury and preventing it from dictating future actions. Dr. Rita Brock, Chaplain and Director of the Shea Moral Injury Center, emphasizes the importance of taking time with oneself to accept the reality of a situation. “You can’t change it; you have to accept what happened and then process those feelings involved so that you may never feel good about remembering the incident. It will always hurt, but the feelings won’t be driving your behavior,” she advises.
Acknowledging moral injury is the first step towards reclaiming agency over one’s life. By accepting the past and processing associated emotions, individuals can gradually free themselves from the burden of guilt, allowing for a more mindful and intentional approach to future actions.
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Supporting Others, Bearing the Weight
Dedicating one’s life to supporting and aiding others through trauma is a noble yet challenging profession. The profound impact of this work often leads professionals to seek their own support systems to navigate the emotional toll.
Ashley McHenry, a Victim’s Specialist with the Metropolitan Police Department, describes the role as “hard and heavy work.” Despite the challenges, the reward comes from knowing you’ve helped someone through their toughest moments. McHenry and her colleagues find solace in the positive impact they make, whether it’s connecting individuals with resources or offering a kind word.
With seven years of service with the D.C. Police, McHenry’s dedication to victim advocacy spans 17 years. Her early experience as a victim fueled a burning desire to help others facing similar hardships.
She explained, “At five, you don’t have the language to say, Oh, when I grow up, I want to be a victim advocate. But, you know, you have a burning desire to help.”
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However, the nature of the job is undeniably tough.
McHenry explained, “There are days you go home and you’re almost sick over it because you couldn’t you couldn’t help the way that you would like to have help. But it also keeps you going as well to show up the next day and do your best.”
Yet, the commitment to making a difference keeps her going day after day.
The prolonged exposure to traumatic experiences takes its toll, leading to second-hand trauma for professionals in victim advocacy roles. Brooke Bralove, a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, acknowledged the stress of working with highly traumatized individuals, emphasizing the importance of the job despite the high burnout rate.
To cope with the emotional toll, professionals like McHenry prioritize self-care and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Taking breaks and stepping away from challenging cases allows them to gather themselves and continue providing effective support.
McHenry emphasized the need to meet victims where they are, recognizing the importance of understanding individual needs in this delicate and demanding profession.
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Taking Care of You
In a community marked by violence and crime, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless, regardless of your role. Amidst the chaos, it becomes crucial to prioritize personal well-being.
When you’re confronted with trauma, the most important thing to do is reset your nervous system. This counteracts the persistent fight-or-flight responses triggered by such experiences.
Engaging in simple activities like exercise, spending time outdoors or practicing deep breathing exercises can contribute significantly to this process. Additionally, incorporating meditation into your routine can aid in relaxation and fostering a positive mindset.
Brooke Bralove, a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, emphasized the importance of sharing your story and speaking to someone you love who can provide support and validate your experiences, as well. This act of communication and connection can play a pivotal role in maintaining mental and emotional well-being.
In the face of community challenges, taking time for personal care isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity. By actively engaging in practices that promote mental and emotional balance, individuals can better navigate the complexities of their roles within the community.
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