GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With 20 murders in the city of Grand Rapids this year, more than all of last year, community advocates working to stop the violence say they've hit a breaking point.
JD Chapman Jr., founder and executive director of Realism Is Loyalty, a nonprofit that mentors at-risk youth, and Annie Vandenberg, of the local chapter of Moms Demand Action, have spent the last month setting in motion a community call to action.
"This needs to be a safe community, and I believe that if everybody plays their role in that, we can get some success," Chapman said.
Their goal is to raise $250,000 over the next month for an anti-violence program that treats gun violence like a public health issue by interrupting its transmission, identifying and helping those at highest risk and then changing social norms.
Cure Violence Global has long been considered by the city, starting in 2012 when a group of representatives traveled to Chicago to watch the program in action. In 2018, the city paid to have Cure Violence provide an assessment on how the program would work in Grand Rapids. The program has had success in a range of cities across the globe.
Chapman, who has pushed for this program for years, says it's time to make it a reality.
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"If the people band forces and 2,500 people get together and say 'Hey, I'm willing to contribute $100 to this, what is the city willing to commit?' I think that would motivate elected officials to move," he said Monday, the same day he and Vandenberg launched a community fundraiser.
Cure Violence, which was started in Chicago by Dr. Gary Slutkin, is typically focused in high crime areas, and employs individuals from within the neighborhoods they serve to work as 'violence interrupters.' Interrupters and outreach workers first work to prevent retaliations and mediate conflicts, and then coordinate community centered efforts to change behavior.
"Because of that, there's no police involvement, there's no police communication. Genuine relationships that have been nurtured over the years can actually be a benefit to the people of this community," said Chapman, who conducts his own daily work in a similar way based on his experiences as a teen involved in gun violence on the city's southeast side.
The program costs about $750,000 annually with the bulk of that going toward salaries for the 5 to 7 employees, other costs include the training and technical support from Cure Violence.
Chapman and Vandenberg are hoping to have raised the $250,000 by Sept. 26. The idea is to have 2,500 community members contribute at least $100.
"It's the citizens of Grand Rapids saying, while we can't raise the entire amount, this is what we're willing to donate to help the program get off the ground," said Vandenberg, who has been involved with Moms Demand Action for about five years.
The city has earmarked $75,000 for an evidence based anti-violence approach, and the Grand Rapids Police Department's strategic plan draft included finding funding for a program like Cure Violence.
Chapman said if the goal is met, they will bring the community fundraising effort to the city commission at the Sept. 29 meeting, the same day that Police Chief Eric Payne will present his final draft of the 3-year strategic plan.
"It helps the police department, by taking some of the burden off their back and it also helps the communities by letting the people that are involved... heal themselves," Vandenberg said.
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