Trauma therapist believes August killings put Rockford's 'mental health crisis' in the spotlight

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Tamika Brown takes a breath before answering how the summer was.

On Sunday, a 27-year-old man lost his life in a shooting near E. State Street. The previous Sunday, another 27-year-old man was killed by gunfire in the 4500 block of Governor's Drive.

And just days before the Governor's Drive shooting, a murder occurred near the 400 block of South Fifth Street on August 13.

“I describe it as if it were a Coke bottle with Mentos in it,” says Brown, a holistic trauma therapist at You Are Not Alone. “You just drop it in and wait for it to explode.”

According to Brown, what is “crashing” in Rockford is an unresolved trauma: a “psychological crisis” that is only now receiving attention.

The most recent homicide — Sunday's shooting on E. State St. — occurred in Councilman Tim Durkee's (R) district. Although he has seen a decline in crime in Rockford, the councilman argues that these recent incidents are part of city life.

“When you venture into a metropolitan area, I think you're taking some risk because the more people there are, the more bad guys there are,” Ald. Durkee says.

According to the City of Rockford, violent crime has decreased – by 5% between July 2024 and July 2023. This trend continued in 2022, where there was a 22% decrease from July 2022 to July 2023.

Another statistic that Ald. Durkee is interested in is the city's 85% murder clearance rate. Last year, arrests were made in 17 out of 20 murders.

Despite the positive trends, the city council recognizes that there is a larger problem behind the violence in the city.

“Not just Rockford, but it seems like we live in a culture of violence, and I don't know exactly why that is,” says Ald. Durkee.

Brown believes the answer lies in unused trauma. The therapist sees that violence arises “when we are triggered.” One way to stop the violence is to keep an eye on yourself and others.

“What are you feeling? Because then you can act on your feelings,” says Brown. The mayor's office relies on trauma-informed response – teams are sent to communities after emergencies.

“All of our task forces identify these problems at a systems level,” says Brandon Tillman, director of violence prevention for the city of Rockford. “We try to address them by implementing strategies.”

While August crime statistics are still pending, the people remediating the area are proud of their work. Brown sees mental health becoming more accepted in Rockford over the years. Next up, though, is passing on trauma knowledge to first responders and the next generation.

“Take them to a place where they know how to process their trauma,” says the therapist. “So they don't end up behind bars. So they don't end up dead.”

Rockford Police are looking for suspects in connection with the recent murders. Anyone with information can send anonymous tips to 847411 with the message “RPDTIP.”

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