UPI Trains Peacemakers in Atlanta

Urban Peace Institute trained community violence intervention workers from seven Everytown grantee organizations in Atlanta this week. The tailored training covered the importance of establishing and maintaining a professional understanding between law enforcement and community violence intervention (CVI) workers in order to effectively prevent and reduce violence. Field experts, Ben "Taco" Owens of Urban Peace Institute and Melvyn Hayward Jr. of Chicago CRED led the regional training with support from UPI's Training & Technical Assistance team. Through roleplays and engaged dialogue, participants learned about applying professional standards of conduct and best practices to keep CVI workers safe in the communities they serve.

The Everytown Community Safety Fund brought together participants from No More Red Dots, Louisville; CHRIS 180, Atlanta; Faith in Action, Alabama; South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace, Pittsburgh; Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance, Cleveland; Operation Good, Jackson; and MUSC Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program, South Carolina. Robust investment in training peacemakers and ongoing professional development in the field of intervention is vital to building and maintaining a comprehensive community safety strategy to end gun violence.