As the United States wraps up the recently proclaimed “National Gun Violence Prevention Week,” and marks the 14th National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims with vigils in the Virgin Islands and across the country, the Source launches a series on a proven strategy deployed in communities across the globe to reduce such violence and
Lessons from the US show why policing should be limited, with more mental health supports but also social services, job training and rehabilitation.
West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley stressed that it’s a small group of people to blame for the majority of the city’s killings. That’s true in cities across the country, said Meaghan McDonald, director of field innovations at the National Network for Safe Communities through John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City
No one should have to live under the threat of gun violence, but tragically more than 1,000 people have been shot and more than 250 people have been killed so far this year in our city. Over 80 percent of the victims are Black; this is unacceptable. We know gun violence is preventable. We know
“In practical terms, I think every city that’s grappling with this question is trying to figure out how to continue to produce public safety in creative ways and in a landscape where, at least in the immediate term, some form of law enforcement is part of that equation,” said Louisa Aviles.
In October 2018, fed up with years of shootings and explosions connected with the city’s gangs, Malmö’s police force launched a new strategy based on the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) technique pioneered in US cities such as Boston, Baltimore and Minneapolis.
Swedish police consider American criminologist’s scheme after 12-year-old girl is shot and killed in gang crossfire in the capital
Serious violence in the United States is concentrated in historically disadvantaged communities of color, and particularly among young men in those communities. The Group Violence Intervention (GVI)—known by various names, including “Operation Ceasefire”—has the strongest record of preventing such violence. The strategy is based on a set of core facts: Most people in those communities
Oakland residents convinced the city to rethink how it tackled gun violence. Now, amid calls to defund the police, other cities are eyeing its strategy.
Critics see Chicago as emblematic of chaos that could follow decreases in police funding. Experts say the relationship between policing and gun violence is nuanced.