Community Violence

Chicago

‘The Voices That Really Matter’: Listen to the Chicago Storytellers Speak on Surviving Violence

A City Cast Chicago podcast episode goes behind the scenes of The Trace’s three-month workshop.

Chicago

They Lost Loved Ones to Guns. They’re Sharing Their Stories So Things Will Be Different.

Seven gun violence survivors, seven stories of Chicago. How might their experiences drive change?

Chicago

My Community Had No Support Groups for Gun Violence Survivors. So I Started My Own.

My son was killed soon after he lost his cousin. I wish he’d had a community like mine.

Chicago

I Want to Change the Culture of Silence

This crisis has shattered so many families, including mine. If more people support survivors, we could begin to solve the problem.

Chicago Stories of Survival

I Wasn’t Allowed to Touch My Son After He Died

The police kept me from saying my final goodbye. The experience showed me how cold the justice system can be for survivors.

Chicago

If a Trauma Center Had Been Closer, My Best Friend Might Still Be Alive

The neighborhoods with the most bloodshed need adequate medical services.

Chicago

It Took 25 Years to Put Together the Missing Pieces of My Siblings’ Murders

As the youngest child, I don’t have many memories of my brother and sister. I have documents.

Chicago

My Children Were Killed in Different Neighborhoods. Only One of Their Deaths Seemed to Matter.

When my daughter was shot in the Gold Coast, her story received media attention, and her killer was sentenced. When my son was shot in Hazel Crest, his story barely made the news — and we were treated like criminals.

Chicago

I Know What It Takes to Keep Young Men From Ending Up on Either Side of a Gun

I’ve carried my trauma every day since I was 11. As a corrections officer, I recognize it in every aspect of the justice system that failed to solve my brother’s shooting.

Chicago

‘We Can Still Hear Each Other’: The Loss Only a Sibling Knows

Chicago’s patchwork of victims services has few resources designed to meet the specific needs of those who’ve lost siblings to gun violence. These people are working to fill in the gaps.

Chicago

When Your Loved One’s Body Becomes ‘Evidence’

When someone is shot and killed, police keep their body as evidence in a homicide investigation. But some families long to say their final goodbyes.

Philadelphia

Life in Poverty, Punctuated by Gun Violence

Philadelphia’s status as the nation’s poorest big city is a major cause of its gunfire.

Chicago

Chicago Officials Promised to Support Shooting Survivors, But Many Feel Overlooked.

The seven participants in The Trace’s Survivor Storytelling Workshop say both the city and state lack policies to help the bereaved.

Chicago

Chicago Promised Better Mental Health Care. Shooting Survivors Say They Haven’t Seen It.

Mayor Brandon Johnson promised to prioritize mental health, but survivors say they’re struggling to access sufficient care.

Chicago

They Couldn’t Find Help When They Survived a Shooting. They Want Things to Improve for the Next Generation.

Children and young adults often feel overlooked after losing a loved one to gun violence. Survivors want schools to step up, and the city to hire youth-focused advocates.