Political leaders and advocates in Chicago are celebrating the positive impact of community-based violence prevention initiatives, announcing a significant expansion of these programs aimed at further reducing gun violence in the city.
The initiative, called Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago (SC2), was revealed during a press event at a high school in Little Village. It seeks to extend violence intervention services to vulnerable populations in neighborhoods including North Lawndale, Austin, Humboldt Park, and Little Village. The goal is to reach 75% of individuals deemed to be at the highest risk for committing or being victims of gun violence.
Other neighborhoods such as Garfield Park, New City, and Englewood are also planning to bolster their violence intervention strategies as part of this initiative.
This announcement came just a day after local business leaders unveiled a new tool aimed at tracking the progress of violence prevention efforts in Chicago. The Chicago Public Safety DataHub, a collaborative effort between the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and NORC at the University of Chicago, aims to evaluate the impact of investments in community violence intervention programs, which also include job creation for residents in high-risk areas.
The Civic Committee, along with its philanthropic partners, has committed $100 million to expand violence intervention efforts throughout the city.
Mayor Brandon Johnson underscored the success of these initiatives by highlighting a notable decrease in gun violence, mentioning that this past Fourth of July weekend marked one of the least violent in the last six years.
According to Susan Lee, executive director of SC2, the data shows a promising trend with gun violence down approximately 40% and homicides reduced by 30% in comparison to 2024.
Lee emphasized that these statistics indicate real progress, stating, “Actual people are not having to experience the cycle of violence anymore, which so harms our kids, our families, and our communities.”
Despite the promising declines, Lee acknowledged the ongoing challenges, noting that the level of shootings and homicides in Chicago remains unacceptable.
SC2 has set ambitious targets, aiming for a 50% reduction in gun violence by 2026 compared to peak levels in 2021. Lee expressed confidence that this goal is attainable.
“Our next objective is to halve gun violence again over the next decade, putting us in line with some of the safest large cities like Los Angeles and New York,” she said.
These aims reflect a significant evolution in Chicago’s approach to community violence intervention over the past decade. The programs now focus on reaching entire neighborhoods rather than just a limited number of individuals, thus broadening the impact of their efforts.
Arne Duncan, the managing director of Chicago CRED, noted the program’s challenging beginnings in 2016. He recalled how the early efforts involved piloting risky strategies that included hiring individuals who were still deeply entrenched in street life to help maintain peace in their communities.
Today, over 1,000 individuals who had previously struggled to find employment are now engaged in keeping their neighborhoods safe.
Duncan highlighted the necessity of public and private partnerships for the sustainability of community violence intervention programs, particularly in light of cuts to federal funding under the Trump administration, which he criticized for its neglect of urban violence issues.
“We’re going to have no help coming from the federal government. They want to see us kill each other. They want to see chaos. The cavalry is not coming, and it’s up to us to be as smart, collaborative, and committed as possible to make history,” he stated, emphasizing the urgent need for local collaboration and commitment to tackle this ongoing crisis.
image source from：chicago
