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Subscribe to RSSChicago police will try to reduce the city’s growing murder rate by partnering for the first-time with anti-violence group CeaseFire, which trains ex-cons to attack violence as if it were a spreading disease.
Chicago-based CeaseFire, whose “violence interrupters” programs have been replicated and studied in several U.S. cities, as well as in Iraq, will receive $1 million from the Windy City’s Department of Public Health beginning July 13.
CeaseFire previously received state and federal money, but not city funding, the group said.
The partnership was proposed after Memorial Day weekend shootings left 10 dead, pushing the city’s homicide count to 200 for the year, the Chicago Sun-times reported. By June 17, the Sun Times said, the city’s murders were running 38 percent ahead of the same period in 2011.
The new funding will boost the number of CeaseFire program workers in Chicago to about 140, up from 100, Dr. Gary Slutkin, CeaseFire founder, told msnbc.com.
Slutkin last weekend was on a U.S. Conference of Mayors panel with mayors from Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Fresno to encourage other cities to support CeaseFire’s model, which can be seen online in PBS’ “Frontline” documentary “The Interrupters.”
Slutkin, an internal medicine and infectious diseases specialist, said CeaseFire takes a public health approach to public safety.
“Violence has been misunderstood,” Slutkin said. “In the absence of a correct strategy, violence will go up, down or sideways in waves. The only way to predictably reduce it is using methods that interrupt it.”
Violence is perpetuated as people consider it the norm, he warned.
“You get a situation where someone looks at someone’s girlfriend, now the expectation is it’s normal to shoot someone,” he said.
He said CeaseFire tries to intervene with the people who are at highest risk for violence.
Slutkin acknowledged a Sun-Times report that six ex-felons have been arrested while working for CeaseFire. However, he said, it's rare. The program sees just a 1 or 2 percent relapse rate, he said, with only two people out of 600 hired over 12 years having been convicted.
Workers go through intensive training, are hired by panels and are subjected to regular drug tests, Slutkin said.
On the street, they work like disease-control workers.
“What we do is figure out who the people are who are spreading the disease, the people most likely to be shooters,” said Amy Ellenbogen, who directs Save Our Streets Crown Heights, a Brooklyn, N.Y., program replicating CeaseFire and serving about 20,000 residents in a 40-block area.
From an eight-member team, four work as street-outreach counselors, trying to get the people most at risk of committing violence to change their focus, perhaps toward getting a GED or job, she told msnbc.com.
“Street outreach is incredibly important, knowing the players and how to persuade them to make better choices,” Ellenbrogen said.
Another four are the interrupters, who step in to mediate potentially violent situations.
“We’ve mediated over 100 incidences” since the team was hired in February 2010, Ellenbogen said.
Like other public health campaign, the program tries to “change the norms of the community,” which means making gun violence not acceptable.
Merchants have signs in window that count the days since last shooting; pizza boxes at a local parlor carry the words “Stop shooting, start living”; neighborhood posters proclaim, “Don’t shoot, I want to grow up.”
Community meetings are held when a shooting does occur, she said. The number of shooting deaths dropped to 13 last year from 25 the year before in the area served, she said.
May 29: Ceasefire director and University of Illinois/Chicago epidemiologist, Gary Slutkin, featured in NBC's Kevin Tibbles' report, describes his organization's approach to reducing gang violence.
Follow Jim Gold at msnbc.com on Facebook here.
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Uhmmm.... it sounds to me like you have some elected politicians pandering for votes with specific elements of Chicago. The money along Lake Shore Drive, and then the flip side of that, the parasites who do nothing but suck at the teat of taxpayers.
And as you note, stop playing patsy cake with the dirtbags. Put them down or put them away for a long long time and tell the ACLU and other apologists to EASD. (Eat $hit And Die)
Its a good thing Chicago is getting their community organizer back in January!
Complete waste of time and tax dollars. Just another feel good attempt to rein in
the worst of society. I am willing to bet that the ex-cons are being paid well with
tax money, etc. A complete waste of time, because the black' in Chicago have been
killing each other off for many decades.
What a bunch of limp-wristed left wing buls*** !!! You want ot drop the crime rate in Chicago? Let law-abiding citizen carry concealed weapons. You'll see the crime rate drop like a rock. The most violent cities in America have the most unrealistic and stringent gun laws. In the safest cities decent citizens have the ability to obtain a concealed carry license without becoming a member of the Ringling Bros. Circus.
All this gun violence in a city that REQUIRES a permit to even own a hand gun. Well it looks like gun control REALLY WORKS.
Where I live we have CHL Permits and there is no weird requirement to show a TRUE and PRESENT NEED to get one.
The over all homicide rate dropped 15% in the first 5 years and has continued to go down,State Wide
When there is true and present danger the POLICE ARE MINUTES AWAY. the city of Chicago does not care about gun crime if they did they would let the law abiding citizen protect themselves.
As long as the law abiding citizens are kept unarmed the criminals know they win always and they will feed at will.
I would never even consider visiting Chicago until this is rectified...It's sad to because I remember fondly visiting my grandparents there in my teens.I would like to revisit the area.
I believe the problem is one of loss of hope, spurred by the near-total loss of economic opportunity. People who go out looking for trouble usually find it. People without hope or opportunity become rather savage in ther basic need to survive. If one has no bootstraps to begin with, it is extremely difficult to pull one's self up by them.
Once Chicago convention goers start realizing how many are being mugged,
and the city starts loosing the convention business.
Kiss the hotel and restaurant business goodby.
Chicago will become the next Detroit.
Already happening people, but it's purposely not reported, to save the convention business.
this guy is full of ++++, little minds resort to simple solutions . put the death penalty back for these crimes and you will see the end of this +++p. next he will blame our harsh laws.
Black culture of today is a disaster, there is zero chance for a turn around. Look at there heroes, role models in and around the community.
The “"Kum Ba Yah Patrol”!!!!! Where do I sign up? I know I can do this. Here’s me:
“Wait, Tyrone! Shooting Lamar over your coke turf isn’t the answer. Let’s hold hands and chant. We’ll all feel
better”
We, in Chicago, the flagship city of liberal panty-waisted worm-ridden sh!thole cities across America, think that anti-violence encounter groups are a better idea than armed citizens.
This country is doomed!
I think we should put armed soldiers in the gang neighborhoods with the instructions shoot to kill. These thugs are a drain on society and deter the kids who do try to get out or better themselves. Just like the war on terror we should be assassinating the gang hierarchy starting top down. They have no respect for human life why should we. Talk and money won't do it. Wipe out the upper 50% of gangs and that may change things. They are enemies of the state and need to be dealt with on that level.
Why??? Because after 50 years of welfare, lowered standards, affirmative action, and free housing, the black population still wants more things for free and when they can't get it, they steal a gun and shoot their neighbors. Why does it continue after they cowardly shoot innocent children, because they would rather their black brotyhewrs go freew then to let a white man arrest them for breaking the law. Do all of the black populace in Chicago deserve this, NO, but it won't change until THEY get off their lazy asses and start telling on their brothers.
Welcome to the next Generation where EX Cons now police the state!
I think any program that is trying to help stop the violence is a step in the right direction. I hope they have some success. Instead of complaining and doing nothing some folks are stepping forward and trying to do something. Give them your support.
Can the community change? Will the "innocent" be willing to stand up and say "They are the bad people"? Until the mind set that "snitchin'" is the worst crime on the streets is changed, no program will help. Starts with the family and community and until there is a culture change - learn accountability for your actions - all will remain as is.
And the culture isn't just a "race" theme as more and more "gangsta's" live outside of the "bad" hoods because they can afford to.
The Chicago police need to bring in the military that participated in the Afghan surge. It is probably more dangerous in Chicago than in Afghanistan.I left Chicago in 1976 and nothing positive has been accomplished since then. The gangs still rule.
The community organizer they used to have apparently did a great job in getting the killers together
The murder rate in Chicago is high, and heres a short-film called #TB4YS #ThinkBeforeYouShoot
written by Anthony Sturdivant
directed by leondotcom x MUDWINGMEDIA
cinematography by Dartise