Communities that invested in prevention saw historic reductions in shootings and homicides, offering powerful evidence that community violence intervention works.
LIVE FREE’s 2025 Impact Report documents a 100 percent reduction in shootings and homicides in Berkeley, California, alongside a 37 percent reduction in shots fired. In Orlando, Florida, homicides declined by 88 percent over three years.
Community-led safety saves lives
These outcomes grew from protecting community violence intervention funding, developing credible-messenger leadership, anchoring prevention inside public systems, and coordinating faith, community, and public leaders.
The results challenge the idea that safety must be built through punishment or surveillance. When communities invest in trusted leaders, trauma response, and coordinated intervention, they create the conditions for violence to decline.
Take action with LIVE FREE to protect and expand proven prevention strategies.
