Knoxville City Council approves violence reduction contract with California-based group

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14-05-2025

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Working on lowering violence was a big topic during Tuesday night's Knoxville City Council meeting. With a large crowd looking on, Knoxville City Council voted to extend a contract with the California-based National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform.
The proposal passed 6-3. Those in favor of the proposal said the work is important and there needs to be a collaborative effort to continue reducing violent crime in the city. Meanwhile, those against the contract said it could take away from the hard work local organizations have already put in.
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'It didn't have any support for the already existing efforts in the city,' said Rashaad Woods, Tennessee Director of ReNOUNce DeNOUNce Gang Intervention Program. 'Right now, you have organizations that are sacrificing, risking their life to be established in these communities.'
The City of Knoxville first entered into a contract with the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform in 2023. In that time, violent crime in the city has seen a continued downward trend. Terry Walker-Smith has lost two children to violent crime and says there's more to prevention than work in the street.
'I've had some of the training with NICJR, so to further that training for others as well as myself, to be able to help others and right now I do help others,' Walker-Smith said. 'Prevention is more than just on the ground. I've done prevention on a national level in Washington and at the state level.'
For Woods, every organization like his has the same end goal but may have different ways to get there. He said their work is crucial for early intervention, while NICJR focuses mainly on ages 20-32.
'You can't just focus on that demographic because you're leaving that youth demographic out,' Woods said. 'Those individuals that are getting caught with guns at 14, 15 and 16, you want to make sure that you interact with them before they actually go out and commit a crime before they get 18 and 19, you don't want to leave them out. By saying that's the best model, you're leaving a gap. You're putting a Band-Aid over the current problem but you're leaving the wound to fester.'
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There was also heavy discussion among councilmembers. Councilwoman Amelia Parker voiced her displeasure with how this all came about.
'I'm very frustrated,' Parker stated. 'In my opinion, based on what we heard last night, this contract is insufficient to address the issues that we need addressing.'
Councilwoman Gwen McKenzie said she wants there to be a time where all the organizations can come together to work on their common goal.
'I am going to stay encouraged and prayerful that our local organizations can come back together in that middle ground and have collaborative partnerships,' McKenzie said. 'I'm hopeful that each organization will come back to the table.'
The discussion on this topic lasted just over two hours before the vote for approval was made. There were two other votes, one to deny the contract and another to postpone the vote until the next City Council meeting, both failed.
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We're told with the approval vote, the NICJR will add six positions in Knoxville. The contract is slated to cost the city $519,750 bringing the total payment to the institute to more than $800,000.
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