- The most effective and widely known community violence intervention programs engage directly with the people, groups, and situations at highest risk for being involved with gun violence.
- 80% of Minnesota support these initiatives.
- These programs can be based in government, in hospitals, or in community organizations, and evidence shows they can reduce violence substantially with consistent funding.
- Community violence intervention strategies can also include efforts to focus on the physical spaces most vulnerable to violence.*
- In Philadelphia, for example, the restoration of vacant lots led to a 39% reduction in firearm assaults.** While Minneapolis and St. Paul have programs like these, the State of Minnesota can do more to promote these programs statewide.
- The American Rescue Plan sets aside $350 billion in state and local funding for these critical programs. So far, Minnesota has barely touched its share.***
Sources
*Cure Violence Global: The Evidence of Effectiveness. (2021). https://cvg.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Cure-Violence-Evidence-Summary.pdf
Matthay, E. C., Farkas,K., Rudolph, K. E., Zimmerman, S., Barragan, M., Goin, D. E., Ahern, J. (2016). Firearm and Non-firearm Violence After Operation Peacemaker Fellowship in Richmond, California, 1996–2016. American Journal of Public Health. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305288
John Jay College’s Research and Evaluation Center. (2020, November 9). Reducing Violence Without Police: A Review of Research Evidence. https://johnjayrec.nyc/2020/11/09/av2020/
Cure Violence: A Public Health Model to Reduce Gun Violence. (2015). Annual Reviews. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122509
Cure Violence: A Public Health Model to Reduce Gun Violence. (2015). Annual Reviews. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122509
**Kondo, M. C., Keene, D., Hohl, B. C., MacDonald, J. M., & Branas, C. C. (2015). A Difference-In-Differences Study of the Effects of a New Abandoned Building Remediation Strategy on Safety. PLOS ONE, 10(7), e0129582. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129582
Urban Blight Remediation as a Cost-Beneficial Solution to Firearm Violence. (2016). American Journal of Public Health. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303434
***The White House. (2021, June 23). Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gun Crime and Ensure Public Safety. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/23/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-comprehensive-strategy-to-prevent-and-respond-to-gun-crime-and-ensure-public-safety/
Department of Public Safety – Minnesota Office of Justice Programs. (2022). 2022 American Rescue Plan Act Violence Intervention Grants. https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/grants/Documents/ARPA%20Violence%20Intervention%202022%20RFP%20FINAL.pdf
