The Darrell Lee Jenkins Jr. Resource Center (DLJJRC) aims to support families and friends who have lost loved ones to murder. The organization identifies individuals and families that have lost a loved one to homicide. The DLJJRC works with families and individuals to help them address not only trauma, but the subsequent issues resulting from unresolved deaths. This includes the need for trauma and grief-informed interventions for the victims and their families who have lost loved ones because of violence in the communities in which they live.

The DLJJRC Resource Center SOLUTIONS:

Create Healthy Communities:

*City and agency leaders invite community members in neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence to focus groups where solutions are generated and, most importantly, acted upon.

*Creation of fair wage, meaningful jobs for the communities most impacted by gun violence

*Quality healthcare, including drug/alcohol treatment on demand

*Affordable, quality housing

*Meaningful investment in our public schools

*Youth mentorship

*Safe recreation centers 

*Community gardens in all impacted neighborhoods

*Opportunities to participate in the arts

*Family counseling and support services reflective of the community

Prevent Gun Violence:

*Trace the guns: Investigate the origins of seized illegal firearms. Focus on the hotspots where violent crimes are occurring and get the guns out.

*End cruel wait times: Reinstate a city coroner to pronounce murder victims dead so their families do not have to wait for hours while the body of their loved one lies in the street. 

*Prevent violence at the root: Set up programs to address the underlying issues that lead to violent crimes, to intervene and prevent violence before it takes place. *Engage members of the *community to work with licensed counselors on a confidential basis to identify people who are at risk of either being victims of or perpetrators of violent crime.

Locate Missing Persons

*Develop a missing person advisory for those individuals who do not meet the Amber or Silver Alert criteria.

*Set up a volunteer program related to missing persons. Volunteers can assist police in active missing persons cases by canvassing from door to door, helping the searches.

*Promote/enforce the use of technology and media (phone GPS tracking, social media, local media) to aid investigations and get the community involved when a person goes missing.

Police Accountability:

We would like to know: 1.) How many police staff hours are put into unsolved murders? 2.) What is the budget for this work? 3.) Are the Detectives in the Homicide Unit experienced and if so, what are their qualifications to do this important work?

 

We, members of The DLJJRC Resource Center also support the following in our work to hold the police accountable:

*Proposals and legislation to offer reparations to victims of police violence, as well as police neglect of duty such as in the history of unsolved homicides of Black and Brown people in Springfield.

*Proposals and legislation to require police officers to carry personal liability insurance to cover costs of brutality or death claims.

*Proposals and legislation to decrease and re-direct policing and prison funds to other social goods.

*Proposals and legislation for (elected) independent civilian police accountability boards with power to investigate, discipline, fire police officers and administrators.

*Proposals and legislation to disarm the police.

*Proposals to simplify the process of dissolving existing police departments.

*Proposals and legislation for data transparency (stops, arrests, budgeting, weapons, etc.).

 

Gun violence is an epidemic in Springfield. There is also rampant gun violence that doesn’t result in death that barely makes the news. Parents are afraid to let their children play outside. Our young people are growing into adults in a culture of death and danger. Many go missing, leaving their families agonized for their safety. This is an affront to the United States Declaration of Independence, which affirms that all people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

 

Families in the city are suffering not only with the loss of their loved ones, but also regarding the lackluster response by the police department. Please join us as we come together to build healthy communities where all have an opportunity to thrive.

 

If you would like more information or to become involved, please contact Juanita Batchelor at: justice4morefamilies@gmail.com, or call: 413.237.1763 or 413.517.4842. Also your financial support is fully tax-deductible, and gratefully appreciated. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and your gift is fully tax-deductible.

 

RECENT MEDIA UPDATES:

Please watch this video, Silent Witness:  Tangela Clark.

Masslive story on Juanita's participation in a press conference at the MA State House with Gabby Giffords and Gov. Maura Healey. (See photos below.)

Boston Globe story on gun violence, featuring Juanita.

WWLP story on Juanita's work.

Stories on grand opening of new DLJRC site from WWLP and Western Mass. News. (See photos from event below.)

NEPM story on gun violence, featuring Juanita.

Way Finders profile on Juanita.