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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CLARIFICATION: The grant from Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency is helping to keep program staff employed. An earlier version of the story said it was helping to expand the program. (10:33 a.m. MDT, May 28, 2025)


Memorial Day's mass shooting in Philadelphia runs counter to what had been a 38% decline in gun-related homicides in the state but federal funding cuts now threaten key gun violence prevention programs.

The Cure Violence program run by New Kensington Community Development Corporation, is one of 350 groups learning their Justice Department grants would end early.

Amy Perez, vice president of programs for the group, said the cuts affect their entire outreach effort, from a youth basketball league to housing services and nutrition programs.

"The original contract was $1.5 million, and about a third of that is a subcontract with Temple University's Center for Urban Bioethics," Perez explained. "About a million of that was meant to fund the program here at NKCDC, and we had about $900,000 left on that contract."

The Trump administration has said services for victims will not be affected. Perez noted her group is now out $260,000 in unreimbursed costs. She added a separate grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency is helping to keep program staff employed.

Tyreek Counts, Cure Violence program coordinator for the New Kensington Community Development Corporation, is gearing up for a Gun Violence Awareness Month event in June and seeking funding to support it. He pointed out the group takes a public health approach, helping people through jobs, trauma counseling, court advocacy and daily outreach.

He added the efforts are making a difference, with homicides in Kensington down 54% and shootings down 44%.

"We try to come help them and try to change their thinking patterns," emphasized. "Basically, get them to understand a bigger picture. Get them to understand that there's more than life than the streets, and that they can make it if they try. That's our mission every day."

Adam Garber, executive director of the CeaseFirePA Education Fund, said his group has seen this play out in other states in previous decades where programs successful at reducing gun violence have resources pulled from them.

"When we think about what the Trump administration is doing, these cuts are wrong on the dollars and cents and on the moral obligation," Garber asserted. "If they continue to go forward and expand, the second Trump administration's probably going to tie the first for a record that no one wants, which is the largest increase in homicides in U.S. history."


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Violence prevention groups said building trust in vulnerable neighborhoods is key to their success but a global humanitarian organization worries about setbacks after the federal government cut off grant money for its work in Minneapolis.

Nonviolent Peaceforce said a big portion of its funding was swept up in a host of grant cuts carried out by the Justice Department, including the group's "Interrupt Cycles of Violence" project in North Minneapolis. Funding for the initiative was supposed to keep flowing into the fall but is now off the table.

Odell Wilson, community peacebuilder for Nonviolent Peaceforce, said it means the teens he has been mentoring will receive disappointing news.

"Not being able to keep that promise or keep those goals set for them -- in my perspective -- that's really unacceptable and it's not fair," Wilson contended.

He emphasized if Nonviolent Peaceforce can no longer provide community spaces, healing circles and other activities, it is another broken promise from adults in their lives. As it scrambles, the organization said it will try to keep connections in the city. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment but broadly said certain types of grants no longer align with the Trump administration's priorities.

Minneapolis officials recently touted positive numbers in reducing violent crime in areas where Nonviolent Peaceforce is present. But Wilson argued abruptly scaling back their work could reinforce conditions for future violence.

"If none of us are trying to do that extra work and understand what it is that's really going on in the relationship field, in the trust field, I don't really see too much change happening in cases of wanting to improve the community or improve that cycle of violence," Wilson stressed.

The organization said the cut represents 40% of its federal support for violence prevention and community-based safety work in the U.S. A similar grant for San Diego was terminated early. Officials said the aid has been backed by Congress over the past decade and with the new administration, they worry about a tone in Washington D.C. where future funding requests are not even given a chance.

Florida State University students joined survivors of past mass shootings at the state Capitol this week, demanding that Gov. Ron DeSantis veto a bill that would lower the gun purchasing age to 18.

The protest follows last week's shooting at FSU's Student Union, the state's sixth mass shooting this year according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Caim Strickland was working on an engineering lab project when the alerts flashed across his phone. He spoke moments after the campuswide lockdown was lifted.

"Campus has always been a safe place, so to see this happen is crazy," he said. "You always hear about it happening somewhere else, other schools, but you never really think it's going to happen here."

The shooting, which killed two and injured six, marked F-S-U's first on-campus gun violence incident since 2014. It occurred weeks after the Florida House passed a bill to lower the gun purchase age from 21 to 18. However, Senate leaders confirmed they had already decided before the shooting not to take up the bill this session, effectively stalling it.

Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, helped craft mental-health reforms after the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and said her focus now is on trauma response.

"I think what's important right now is that everybody gets the help and support they need. I have seen what happens in the aftermath of these traumatic situations, and unaddressed trauma is very detrimental to people," she explained.

The 2018 Parkland massacre left 17 dead and 17 wounded on Valentine's Day. It ranks among America's deadliest school shootings.

The tragedy prompted then-Gov. Rick Scott to sign a package of reforms, including raising Florida's minimum age for rifle purchases to 21, matching the federal standard already in place for handguns. The National Rifle Association quickly launched a constitutional challenge after the changes.


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