JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has decided to push ahead with Cure Violence, a crime-fighting program that got its start in Chicago.
Curry's chief of staff Brian Hughes released a statement saying:
“They will give us the assessment report and proposal within 30 days. But based on their record of success, and the preliminary feedback today, Mayor Curry is committed to move forward. The community response has been very productive and it’s clear there is already a high degree of approval across a wide section of stakeholders. Next step will be to research funding avenues and turn the proposal into a formal scope of work. With that in mind, it’s expected the program would be deployed before the summer.”
The national organization has been trying to convince city leaders to spend a half million dollars a year for three years. The organization claims its model of "treating violent crime as a disease" will reduce shootings and murders in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville had 21 murders in under two months, putting the city on pace to be at its deadliest year since 2007.
Cure Violence says its programs contributed to a 56 percent reduction in killings in Baltimore and a 64 percent drop in shootings in New York City.
Its program in Chicago’s West Garfield Park area saw a 67 percent reduction in violent crime, according to Rev. Marshall Hatch, who helped launch it.
The program died out within a few years because of tensions between law enforcement and community leaders, Hatch said.
But Cure Violence tells a different story. The program dissolved because of budget cuts, according to Marcus McAllister, Cure Violence national trainer.
"It's unfortunate, but it's something that's sometimes just out of our hands,” McAllister said. “We're out there doing the work."
The organization trains local leaders to intervene with people at risk of committing a violent crime. They also respond to every single shooting and counsel victims and their families to prevent retaliation killings.