Summer is, as Mariame Kaba wrote, “the season of hyper-surveillance and even more aggressive policing of young people of color” in stigmatized cities. But in Chicago, gun violence is down 40% this year. In Baltimore, homicides have been declining at historic rates, last April marking the fewest of any month since 1970. How?
Baltimore expanded its Safe Streets programming, employing community violence interrupters. The new Group Violence Reduction Strategy matches participants with life coaches and financial support, aiming to target the causes of violence, like “poverty, mental health, and housing issues.” The Summer Youth Engagement Strategy also deters youth violence with programming during spring and summer breaks.
The number of young victims of gun violence decreased by 66%. Fifty-eight thousand people have attended Safe Streets events, with over 2,300 conflicts mediated. Chicago has seen similar hopeful results with its “Leaders of Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago,” or SC2.
Hiring outreach workers “still in the streets,” has paid off. Chicago gun violence has declined every year since 2021, and the current goal is a 50% reduction by 2026.
These numbers are people with internal worlds, stories, traumas, and communities. With Baltimore and Chicago as alternative models to policing, there is hope of reaching people nationwide.