Community Violence

On the Frontlines of Gun Violence Prevention, Lessons Learned From a Harrowing Year

How We Fix This

On the Frontlines of Gun Violence Prevention, Lessons Learned From a Harrowing Year

2020's shooting surge was overwhelming and in many cities unprecedented. But for outreach workers and other experts, it also led to new ideas and approaches.

Ann Givens, J. Brian Charles, Lakeidra Chavis, and Jennifer Mascia
Chicago’s Gun Violence Plan Looks Good on Paper, Prevention Leaders Say. Can the City Pull It Off?

How We Fix This

Chicago’s Gun Violence Plan Looks Good on Paper, Prevention Leaders Say. Can the City Pull It Off?

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposal prioritizes police reforms and expansions to social services. How officials will accomplish their goals is left unanswered.

Lakeidra Chavis
In a Virtual Classroom, How Do You Care for Kids Threatened by Gun Violence?

Coronavirus & Guns

In a Virtual Classroom, How Do You Care for Kids Threatened by Gun Violence?

Teachers across the country are struggling to give students the support they need. In Philadelphia, that includes finding ways to protect them from shootings that are approaching record levels.

J. Brian Charles
Portland’s High Stakes Experiment to Shrink the Role of Police in Fighting Gun Violence

Community Violence

Portland’s High Stakes Experiment to Shrink the Role of Police in Fighting Gun Violence

Away from the protests, shootings are on the rise. City leaders recently disbanded a police unit meant to prevent them — and what happens next might shape public safety for years.

Casey Parks
Mass Shootings Are Soaring, With Black Neighborhoods Hit Hardest

Coronavirus & Guns

Mass Shootings Are Soaring, With Black Neighborhoods Hit Hardest

2020 is on pace to have the most mass shootings since the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive started tracking them. In their wake, anti-violence activists say the lack of public outpouring feels familiar: “Nobody cares about us.”

Champe Barton, J. Brian Charles, Jennifer Mascia, and Chip Brownlee
A Promising Violence Prevention Program in Chicago Faces a Massive Budget Setback

How We Fix This

A Promising Violence Prevention Program in Chicago Faces a Massive Budget Setback

READI addresses shootings by tackling joblessness, but without public funding, its future is in doubt.

Lakeidra Chavis
An Outdated Understanding of Chicago Gangs Could Be Hampering Gun Violence Prevention

Community Violence

An Outdated Understanding of Chicago Gangs Could Be Hampering Gun Violence Prevention

Roberto Aspholm spent years researching the transformation of the city’s gangs. He says law enforcement in Chicago hasn’t caught up.

Lakeidra Chavis
Activists Push for Community-Led Gun Violence Prevention in a Southern City Scarred by Racist Policing

How We Fix This

Activists Push for Community-Led Gun Violence Prevention in a Southern City Scarred by Racist Policing

Birmingham has one of the country’s highest rates of fatal shootings. The defund movement has reinvigorated grassroots efforts to drive down violence.

Chip Brownlee
Chicago’s Peace Academy Graduates a New Class of Violence Interrupters

Community Violence

Chicago’s Peace Academy Graduates a New Class of Violence Interrupters

As shootings rise and the pandemic continues, street outreach workers are juggling multiple roles to preserve community health.

Lakeidra Chavis
To Save Baltimore, Mayoral Candidates Vow to Crack Down on Illegal Guns

Community Violence

To Save Baltimore, Mayoral Candidates Vow to Crack Down on Illegal Guns

With voters desperate to reduce shootings, three of the campaign’s black front-runners are embracing aggressive law enforcement tactics that could perpetuate racial disparities.

J. Brian Charles
Chicago Doubled Its Street Outreach Workers. Memorial Day Weekend Could Be a Big Test.

Community Violence

Chicago Doubled Its Street Outreach Workers. Memorial Day Weekend Could Be a Big Test.

Shootings typically jump during summer months. Gun violence prevention groups hope reinforcements can stem the tide.

Lakeidra Chavis
When the Shootings Don’t Stop

Coronavirus & Guns

When the Shootings Don’t Stop

In many cities, gun violence is dealing a double blow to black communities already ravaged by the pandemic. Community outreach workers are struggling to keep up.

Champe Barton, J. Brian Charles, Lakeidra Chavis, Ann Givens, and Daniel Nass
The Very Essential Work of Street-Level Violence Prevention

Commentary

The Very Essential Work of Street-Level Violence Prevention

On the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, outreach workers are going beyond their mission of preventing shootings by filling gaps in social services.

David Muhammad and DeVone Boggan
Will Illinois’s Stay-at-Home Order Reduce Gun Violence in Chicago?

Coronavirus & Guns

Will Illinois’s Stay-at-Home Order Reduce Gun Violence in Chicago?

The city says crime is down in March. But experts warn it’s too early to draw conclusions as to why.

Lakeidra Chavis
‘Murder Hasn’t Taken a Break.’ So Baltimore Anti-Violence Workers Are Adapting.

Coronavirus & Guns

‘Murder Hasn’t Taken a Break.’ So Baltimore Anti-Violence Workers Are Adapting.

Erricka Bridgeford runs Baltimore Ceasefire 365, a grassroots gun violence prevention organization. The kind of work the group does to defuse conflicts and help victims depends on the person-to-person connections that social distancing makes challenging, to say the least. But…

J. Brian Charles

Community Violence

On the Frontlines of Gun Violence Prevention, Lessons Learned From a Harrowing Year

Chicago’s Gun Violence Plan Looks Good on Paper, Prevention Leaders Say. Can the City Pull It Off?

In a Virtual Classroom, How Do You Care for Kids Threatened by Gun Violence?

Portland’s High Stakes Experiment to Shrink the Role of Police in Fighting Gun Violence

Mass Shootings Are Soaring, With Black Neighborhoods Hit Hardest

A Promising Violence Prevention Program in Chicago Faces a Massive Budget Setback

An Outdated Understanding of Chicago Gangs Could Be Hampering Gun Violence Prevention

Activists Push for Community-Led Gun Violence Prevention in a Southern City Scarred by Racist Policing

Chicago’s Peace Academy Graduates a New Class of Violence Interrupters

To Save Baltimore, Mayoral Candidates Vow to Crack Down on Illegal Guns

Chicago Doubled Its Street Outreach Workers. Memorial Day Weekend Could Be a Big Test.

When the Shootings Don’t Stop

The Very Essential Work of Street-Level Violence Prevention

Will Illinois’s Stay-at-Home Order Reduce Gun Violence in Chicago?

‘Murder Hasn’t Taken a Break.’ So Baltimore Anti-Violence Workers Are Adapting.