When LIVE FREE leaders helped design the first Break the Cycle of Violence Act in 2019, federal investment in Community Violence Intervention was still treated as a marginal idea. The campaign helped move it toward the center of the national public-safety conversation.The legislation was built around a straightforward principle: communities facing the highest levels of gun violence should receive sustained funding [...]
Indianapolis offers an important lesson in how organized communities can move from demanding change to helping govern it.LIVE FREE Indiana and its partners developed a co-governance model: grassroots leaders engage public officials consistently, shape priorities, monitor implementation, and hold institutions accountable for results. This organizing helped move $17 million toward Community Violence Intervention, non-police crisis response, and efforts to end chronic [...]
Public safety does not end when a shooting stops. Families still face grief, trauma, fear, financial strain, and the possibility of retaliation. LIVE FREE Illinois is helping build a response that treats healing as essential infrastructure.Community Healing Resource Centers connect residents with trauma-informed support, outreach, community events, and trusted local organizations. In 2024, the centers engaged 11,562 people through healing activities [...]
Detroit’s ShotStoppers initiative is building evidence for a central principle of LIVE FREE’s work: communities need the resources and authority to lead violence prevention.The city launched ShotStoppers in 2023 with an $11 million investment. Instead of relying on a single citywide provider, Detroit funded neighborhood organizations to lead Community Violence Intervention in six areas with high levels of shootings and homicides.The [...]
Peace Orlando began with a simple but powerful idea: the people closest to violence can also be closest to the solution.Launched in November 2022 by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Peace Orlando works with residents at the highest risk of being involved in gun violence. Neighborhood Change Associates build trusted relationships, mediate conflict, and connect participants to cognitive behavioral therapy, employment [...]
Oakland’s experience offers one of the clearest examples of what becomes possible when community organizing, credible messengers, services, and public accountability work together.In 2012, after years of pressure from community and faith leaders, Oakland launched a coordinated Ceasefire strategy focused on the small number of people at the greatest risk of shooting or being shot. The model combined direct communication, intensive [...]
Illinois organizers delivered a series of 2025 wins that joined accountability with community-based safety.The Homicide Data Transparency Act passed unanimously, establishing public reporting requirements intended to improve homicide-clearance transparency statewide. Clean Slate legislation also passed, expanding access to record relief and reducing barriers that can follow people long after a sentence ends.Investment in healingOrganizing secured $3 million for Community Healing Resource [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 9, 2025 Contact: Hannah Naomi Jones Live Free USA Email: hannah@livefreeusa.org Website: www.www.livefreeusa.org TIME’S UP: 8,300 LETTERS URGE GOVERNOR NEWSOM TO SIGN REPARATIONS BILLS BEFORE OCTOBER 12 DEADLINE Live Free USA calls on the Governor to turn apology into action — California is ready. Are you? SACRAMENTO, Calif. (October 9, 2025) — The clock is running out [...]
Real safety is built when communities have the resources to prevent violence, respond to crises, support stable housing, and create pathways to healing. LIVE FREE’s 2025 Impact Report documents more than $67 million moved into communities for community violence intervention, crisis response, and housing.That national total reflects sustained organizing in states where residents, faith leaders, directly impacted leaders, and community partners [...]
Violence is not just a statistic—it’s a crisis that impacts families, neighborhoods, and entire communities. Live Free USA is taking bold steps to curb violence in Montgomery by empowering local leaders, fostering community-driven solutions, and advocating for policies that promote safety and justice. 📢 What’s happening in Montgomery? Live Free USA is actively working to reduce gun violence, mass incarceration, and [...]
