Above: SLF’s Robert Garcia leads a listening session at Catholic Community Services
There is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
It’s déjà vu all over again. (Yogi Berra)
The bad news 1994: Gang violence plagues city. Response: The Gang Intervention Task Force.
The bad news 2024: Gun Violence on the rise. Response: The Community Violence Reduction Initiative (CVRI).
The good news: Hardship can lead to positive outcomes if people come together with hope and determination. And stick with it.
The Gang Intervention Task Force, assembled by the late Peter Courtney in the mid-‘90s, not only reduced crime, it led to several community-wide initiatives … including the formation of Salem Leadership Foundation in 1996. Other outcomes included the Community Partnership Teams (CPTs) and the Neighborhood Response Effort, followed in the early 2000s by the No Meth/Yes Foster Care movement. Just to name a few.
Nearly three decades later, gangs and gun violence are in the headlines again. And our community is responding with hope and determination. Still in the early stages, the CVRI is designed to spark a) community dialogue and strategic planning, and then b) community engagement in the form of “peace walks” and “credible messengers.” Simple ideas, consistently deployed, profound outcomes. SLF is honored to be represented on the CVRI steering committee by incoming executive director Kyle Dickinson, and hosting the third in a series of summertime listening sessions led by national consultant Ben McBride of Empower Initiative.
We also will be co-hosting the August 22 meeting at the Salem Alliance campus from 6 to 7:30 p.m. To register, please email Kyle@salemLF.org. The CVRI process will extend well into 2025 and beyond, and we have faith it will not only lead to a reduction in violence, but also spark other beneficial initiatives/partnerships. Kinda like Déjà vu all over again!
