With the recent barrage of gun crimes across New York City, leaders and advocates are supplementing NYPD crime-fighting efforts with alternative methods to prevent gun violence from occurring.
At the same time, these community organizers are also advocating for more investment in social services to help keep all New Yorkers away from a life of crime and improve their lives.
Among the most active of these organizers are violence interrupters, community members who — because of previous experiences or affiliations with gangs or violence — are able to retain the ability to reach out to members of the community who are beginning to or are at risk of engaging in gun violence.
Cure Violence was originally founded in 1995 and works to utilize the personal contacts and skills of hired violence interrupters to detect potential shooting events and stop harm from occurring. Cure Violence was also the first organization to successfully solidify the model of community-based violence interrupters.
