White House Gun Violence Program With Philanthropies Ends
Author: Thalia Beaty, Associated Press
Summary
The impact of the Community Violence Intervention Collaborative (CVIC), though, may yet be
larger, both in the fight to slow the growth of gun violence and in the way philanthropy and
government work together.
Aqeela Sherrills, the adviser for the initiative at Hyphen, thinks many more officials and
communities now understand violence interruption is a complement to policing, not a strategy
that is anti-police.
“We’re not expecting our cops will be everything, to be teachers, lawyers, therapists, and
counselors,” he said.
“The theory of change for this collaborative was to focus on community groups that were the
hardest to reach, that were doing incredible work locally and had very little support,” said
Fatimah Loren Dreier, who leads the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, one of the
organizations providing training.
In the summer, Pastor Mike McBride, the leader of the nonprofit Live Free USA, who has
advocated for violence interruption for two decades, invited Kennedy and others to attend the
signing ceremony at the White House for the gun-safety legislation that helped states put in place
“red flag” laws and included $250 million in funds for violence interruption.
“My issue with that is: How can you acknowledge us and say we’re responsible enough to curb
violence, but you’re allowing our records to prevent us from standing on your front grass?”
Kennedy said.
