Latest news with #CureViolenceGlobal
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
City to implement violence interruption plan targeting violent crime hotspots
One city is treating violence like a disease, and they have identified some hot spots. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7's Mason Fletcher spoke to the mayor about the program. He will have the latest LIVE on News Center 7 at 6:00. Mayor Jeffrey Mims said he is very confident in this program because he's seen it work in other cities across the country. Cure Violence Global recommended violent crime hotspots that the city should focus on. 'We're looking at areas of the North Main area and also some areas over in Westwood. Those are the two primary areas,' Mims said. We will continue to update this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dayton violence interruption plan eyes hotspots: Miami Chapel, North Riverdale
May 7—After analyzing police data about aggravated assaults and homicides, Cure Violence Global has recommended that the city focus its proposed violence interruption program on a couple of violent crime hotspots in west and northwest Dayton. Cure Violence Global recently completed an assessment that says Dayton is good fit for its violence prevention and reduction model that treats violence like a contagious disease. The organization identified potential target areas of North Riverdale in north Dayton and Miami Chapel in west Dayton. A Dayton Police Department analysis of firearm-related homicides and felonious assaults from 1999 to 2024 found that violence has been concentrated in areas including the DeSoto Bass Courts in Miami Chapel and the North Main Street corridor, by the Santa Clara and North Riverdale neighborhoods. Studies indicate that Cure Violence Global programs in other U.S. cities have led to large reductions in violence, shootings and killings, said Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr., who believes Dayton's new program will launch in mid- to late summer. "It's a problem we want to prevent," he said. "I don't want to lose one more life." Cure Violence Global is a Chicago-based organization that helps communities create violence prevention and reduction programs that take a public health approach to combating bloodshed. The group worked closely with the city to complete a "readiness assessment" to determine if its model could work in the Gem City. CVG says Dayton has the capacity and the "political will" to launch a successful program. CVG recommends that Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County should be the oversight agency for the program, and the group said it can and will help find a community-based organization to implement the model. Jennifer Wentzel, health commissioner with Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County, said the agency "has been asked to play a role in addressing violence as a public health issue, and we are working to determine the most effective way for Public Health to support a meaningful, evidence-based and community-centered solution." CVG's readiness assessment says Miami Chapel and North Riverdale are potential target areas. Miami Chapel starts at U.S. 35 near James H. McGee Blvd. and runs south past Germantown Pike and DeSoto Bass, to Louise Troy Elementary and the Humane Society. North Riverdale is a long neighborhood of homes between Main Street and Riverside Drive, running north from Ridge Avenue just past Siebenthaler. A Dayton Daily News investigation earlier this year found that North Riverdale and Residence Park (in west Dayton) had the most incidents of violent gun crime in the city last year, and Miami Chapel had more gun violence than most city neighborhoods. Maps created by the Dayton Police Department of firearm-related homicides and felonious assaults in the last five and the last 26 years suggest that hotspots included parts of Miami Chapel, the Summit Square apartment complex and sections of the North Main Street corridor, close to and around North Riverdale. The readiness assessment says that information provided by the Dayton Police Department suggests that the nature of violent incidents in the city is consistent with other places where the CVG model has been implemented. "Shootings and homicides take place in mostly public spaces in the community between individuals and groups who are in conflict for various reasons ranging from the sale of substances to interpersonal conflicts (often fueled by social media) to other 'on the spot' transactional disputes," the report states. CVG recommends that Dayton's program employ 7-10 team members for every target area, which includes violence interrupters, outreach workers and supervisors and program managers. The assessment says a program in a target area could cost about $565,000 annually. CVG's model calls for hiring and training violence interrupters who try to prevent violence by identifying and mediating conflicts in the community before they can escalate. These "credible messengers" will try to link vulnerable community members who are at a high risk of being involved in violence with services like housing, food, employment and educational assistance and job skills training. CVG says its model helped reduce killings by 75% in Charlotte; 43% in St. Louis; 32% in Baltimore; and 18% in Milwaukee. The organization says violence interruption programs in New York, Philadelphia and New Orleans resulted in sizable declines in shootings. Mayor Mims said Dayton overall is a safe place, and the Gem City is safer than some other U.S. urban areas. But he said there is still too much violence in the community, and this program hopefully will help change that. "It makes all the sense in the world for us to do this," he said. "Getting this right means so, so much to every citizen, born and unborn, and every citizen who passes through Dayton, plus those who live here." Mims said more community members, and young people especially, need to be taught conflict resolution skills. Mims also said the violence interruption program is one part of his peace campaign, and the other components will focus on youth development and community engagement.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Dayton violence interruption program set to begin this summer
A violence prevention program held a meeting Thursday evening to discuss slowing down crime in younger populations. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7′s Malik Patterson spoke with leaders and members of the community about how best to intervene LIVE on News Center 7 at 11. Cure Violence Global, also known as CVG, is a program that says they have helped other cities reduce their gun violence from 60 percent to 30 percent. TRENDING STORIES: Local sushi restaurant closes location after 10 years Woman, minor shot at point-blank range near Springfield store, restaurant 'I don't even feel like it's real;' Owner devastated after fire destroys Miami County business 'This is accomplished by hiring members of the community who have had similar life experiences to those at highest risk of committing acts of violence,' the CVG website says. 'Staff are trained as community health workers and receive extensive education and coaching in evidence-based methods of mediation, persuasion, behavior change, and norm change — all of which are essential for limiting the spread of outbreaks of violence.' RELATED>> 'Hopefully this year is different;' Dayton saw rise in homicides, other gun violence in 2024 Dayton residents showed up to the event, and are eager to see change. 'I think it's well worth trying out,' Julian Pruitt from Dayton said. Pruitt believes with the right mentors and guidance, the program will be impactful. Mayor Jeff Mims said that having these community leaders be the example could show youth that things can be changed. 'Break up a fight, mediating the disagreement between even adults, for a young person to maybe see some adults change their attitude in the middle of a disturbance,' Mims said. The program will focus on target neighborhood areas that are hit hardest by violent crime. The implementation of the program is not free. 'We're probably $450,000 that we're looking at in terms of getting this situation kicked off,' Mims said. Mims is hoping to have this program start by the beginning of the summer 2025. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
Dayton begins new peace campaign to combat violence
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The city of Dayton is hitting the ground running to combat violence and spread peace in 2025. On Tuesday, 2 NEWS joined the city for a ride-along through areas of Dayton seeing an increase in violence, speaking with residents and officials to learn what's next for the Dayton Peace Campaign. The city of Dayton is taking a holistic approach on violence with the help of Cure Violence Global, an organization that compares community violence to an epidemic, treating it as a disease that Dayton residents say urgently needs to be cured. 'I'm hoping that this helps. I've seen the neighborhood go from being quiet to now being active with a lot of violence,' said Terri Sims, Playtime Nursery School. In 2024, more than 160 crimes involving firearms happened in the city of Dayton. Some of those were fatal, with 10 juveniles becoming victims of murder or nonnegligent manslaughter. Prosecutor pushes to try minors as adults after police pursuit, fiery crash These homicides, robberies and violent actions riddle the entire city, including neighborhoods like Residence Park. 'That it poses a problem for people that live in the neighborhood, especially for seniors and for children, to have this type of violence going on,' said Sharon Mitchell, president of Residence Park Neighborhood Association. 'So we just want to make sure that we can contain it and then make sure we can build our community back up.' Both Terri Sims and Sharon Mitchell are staples in Residence Park — Sims is the owner and CEO of the neighborhood's only early childcare center, and Mitchell is president of the neighborhood association. Both say they support the city's new peace campaign to end the growing violence they've seen. 'Yeah, it's a holistic approach of the community. Mediation is a huge part of this,' said Chris Shaw, Dayton City Commissioner. 'Mental health is another huge part of this neighborhood engagement to change the tone, to say this community does not want violence.' The $438,000 peace campaign is different from other programs the city has used in the past. This time, the city is hoping to reduce homicide rates and gun violence numbers by using a community violence interruption, youth development and community engagement as the solution. Cure Violence Global tackles violence in the same way health officials tackle an epidemic, using public health instead of law enforcement to combat what they call the 'deadly disease of violence.' By partnering with Cure Violence Global, Dayton will be putting trained community workers on the ground to mediate. And Cure Violence leaders say this model has worked. 'Our first year in Chicago, we've seen over 50 percent reduction in homicides and shootings,' said Quinones Corniel, Cure Violence Global regional director. 'You think about our track record in New York, in Baltimore, Philadelphia. We've had massive reductions in shootings, in conflicts and in homicides.' The program requires long term investment and commitment from both community and city leaders, all working together to bring that worldwide impact to Dayton neighborhoods as well. Sims says its about more than just hope for a better tomorrow. 'I got a positive energy coming out of what's happening,' said Sims. Tuesday was day one of three — the assessment of city data during the ride-along. Now, Cure Violence Global will begin analyzing to determine the best fit for Dayton. Click to learn more about the Dayton Peace Campaign and Cure Violence Global. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
