A new initiative for single mothers and their sons is helping to combat crime and empower vulnerable community members in Jackson.

The nonprofit Operation Good, made up of people who used to be in prison, said it has helped to significantly lower crime rates in the areas it serves. In one neighborhood, the rate dropped from 87% to 14%.

Fredrick Womack, founder and executive director of Operation Good, said the goal is to find the root causes of violence in Jackson. They are doing family interventions and collaborating with single moms and high-risk youth to prevent violent crimes.

"To change the mindset of the high-risk participant and also give them in a better place in life, get the mothers in a better place in life," Womack explained. "Data here show that over 52% of the children are born into unwed families; 77% of those are single moms."

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety aims to reduce violent crime by 5% using federal grants. However, Womack pointed out Mississippi received American Rescue Plan Act funds and 20% of the money was supposed to be allocated to community organizations for public safety and violence prevention. He noted Mississippi used the money instead to create a Capitol Police Department.

For Operation Good, community engagement also includes providing food, educational and mentoring resources to families. They host monthly events. The most recent was a block party and the next will be a community symposium on Sept. 26, where victims of violent crime will discuss prevention.

"We're doing a gun violence event with the hospitals and researchers and talk dealing with those who have been a victim of gun violence, you know, who have been shot," Womack outlined. "We're having a symposium with them, to try to let them know there are resources available."

According to the Marshall Project, Jackson has a curfew restricting young people from being out past 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. The ordinance is set to expire in January 2025. In the meantime, city officials hope engagement centers also offer a safe haven for children.


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In Mississippi's capital, once dubbed "America's Deadliest City," a new initiative in Jackson seeks to turn the tide on violence through collaboration and a public health approach. The Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery was introduced in 2022 as a response to surging crime rates, with Jackson recording 156 homicides in 2021.

Keisha Coleman, executive director of the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, is using her 25 years of experience in violence prevention and intervention to help the office take a broader approach, rather than focusing solely on traditional policing.

"The main goal was to change the narrative of public safety to let people know that it's not just about policing and prosecution, but it's also about community engagement, community strengthening and rebuilding the community through a lens of public health," she said.

The office is relatively new and plans to ramp up rapidly. It emphasizes a "Community Violence Intervention Ecosystem," bringing together organizations that tackle mental health, substance abuse, workforce development and re-entry programs.

The office is also forming partnerships with Jackson Public Schools and Child Protective Services to address the needs of children in state custody who are at higher risk of involvement with the justice system. Coleman said these collaborations aim to close systemic gaps and create a more supportive environment for youth.

"We can't just say, hey, you know, that's a bad idea, don't shoot," she explained. "Take the gun, but leave them with no other options no other services, no other resources. So the office of violence prevention wants to make sure that there are services for individuals who are likely to shoot guns or be victims of gun shootings."

One of the office's most promising partnerships is with the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the state's only Level 1 trauma hospital. Together, they are developing a hospital-based intervention program. According to Coleman, the medical center will fund community-based case management for gunshot victims and their families, helping them transition from trauma care to resources that address the root causes of violence.


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As the Pennsylvania House reconvenes this week, lawmakers will focus on regulating 3D-printed ghost guns.

These untraceable firearms, like the one allegedly used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, complicate criminal investigations.

For the third time, state Rep. Melissa Shusterman said she plans to introduce legislation aimed at classifying 3D-printed firearms as standard firearms under Pennsylvania's laws and regulations, and require 3D printer owners to be licensed as manufacturers.

The Chester Democrat said she's already circulated a memo to colleagues, and said she's hopeful action will be taken for the bill.

"We are waiting to get any additional feedback," said Shusterman. "With every two years, my legislation needs to be tweaked and updated, to hone in on exactly how to create a piece of legislation that'd work for our manufacturers, work for our law enforcement, works within the law."

Pennsylvania State Police data reveal a doubling of ghost gun seizures by law enforcement in 2023 compared to 2022.

Shusterman added that a bill to ban ghost-gun kits passed the House last session with bipartisan support, but stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Adam Garber, executive director of CeaseFirePA, said his group helped craft the bipartisan ghost-gun bill passed by the Pennsylvania House.

He warned that these firearms, easily assembled from online parts without background checks, have been seen in the state in the last few years.

"A lot of the violence we saw rising in cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg and York, was being driven by ghost guns," said Garber. "Police were recovering them at a higher rate - again, because they escape our gun safety laws."

Garber added that the Biden administration announced a new federal rule to require 3D-printed guns be treated like any other gun and require background checks.

He added that there is now concern that a future administration could reverse this, making them a preferred weapon for violent crime once again.



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CORRECTION: The next stop for the exhibit is the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, not the Detroit Institute of Arts. (1:30 p.m. MDT, Jan. 6, 2025)

A gun violence memorial now on view in Boston aims to reveal the personal lives behind the statistics.

The exhibit was designed in 2019 and includes four small houses, each built with 700 glass bricks to symbolize the average number of people killed weekly by guns in America. The statistic climbed to more than 800 people per week in 2024.

Maggie Stern, project manager for the architecture firm MASS Design Group, said each brick contains something personal from the victims.

"You might encounter baby shoes, graduation tassels, a basketball," Stern outlined. "Things that family members have donated that really speak to who the loved one was that they lost."

The Gun Violence Memorial Project remains on view through Jan. 20 at three locations in Boston, including City Hall, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the MASS Design Group gallery.

Stern emphasized the goal of the memorial was to show the enormity of the gun-violence epidemic while honoring the individual lives taken. More than half of U.S. adults now say they or a family member has experienced some form of gun violence. She hopes people use the memorial and the personal items it contains to reflect on the loss but also feel inspired to take action.

"We hope that where the memorial travels and how the memorial grows, its impact will really be driven by the communities who are leading the charge to end the gun-violence epidemic," Stern stressed.

Stern noted the memorial will travel this spring to the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. She added designers and the community groups they work with continue to collect personal objects of loved ones to add to the exhibit with the hope of finding a permanent home for the memorial in Washington, D.C.