Community violence reduction initiative to be expanded to Baltimore City schools

BALTIMORE —  Mayor Brandon Scott and city leaders announced that an anti-violence initiative will be implemented in city schools after successfully reducing homicide and non-fatal shootings by nearly 20 percent in comparison to the previous year. 

The Community Violence Intervention Ecosystem initiative will be expanded to schools, aiming to save young lives by focusing on conflict management and building interpersonal skills.

Launched a year ago, the initiative uses a community collaborative approach to break cycles of violence. It brings together leaders in schools, hospitals, and more than 30 grassroot organizations to develop strategies for crime prevention. 

The city allocated more than $10 million from the American Rescue Plan Act last year to fund the program.

Mayor Scott emphasized the importance of addressing the issue of violence among young people, saying, "We are still losing way too many people to violence, but more specifically young people...a lack of social-emotional development, emotional regulation, emotional intelligence, and peaceful conflict resolution skills are at the forefront."

Residents of Baltimore shared mixed reactions to the announcement. 

According to Mayor Scott, the city has so far invested $50 million in building a safer community. City council members are set to gather at City Hall Wednesday to discuss updates on crime reduction and plans to tackle crime in preparation for next month's youth summer curfew.