Detroit officials said Monday that community violence interrupter groups are responsible for a steep reduction in crime in six areas of the city.
The initiative in Detroit, called ShotStoppers, started last year with six groups focusing on lowering violence in 25 of the city's most violent square miles.
Detroit officials said compared to the previous two years, violent crime from August to October was down 35% outside of the ShotStopper zones, but within those zones, violent crime dropped between 37% and 83%. It's a local example of an approach gaining traction nationally called community violence intervention.
“I am really proud to say that our six CVI groups, every single one of them beat the citywide average in violence,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan during a Monday press conference in a church on Detroit’s east side.
“This is not a coincidence. This is proof that what you're going to hear from today, these folks who are in schools, who are in neighborhoods, who are in hard conversations every single day, it is changing the paths of young people," Duggan said.
All six of the groups receive American Rescue Plan funding through the city and were given 3 to 5 square mile areas to focus on reducing crime.
The territory of Detroit Friends and Family, focused on the intersection of 7 Mile and Gratiot Avenue on Detroit’s East Side, saw the largest increase among the violence interruption groups.
The organization mostly works with young people but also offers help with prisoners reentering society, family reunification, employment, and financial goals. The group is in schools and working with other organizations to find people in the area who are in need.
“We guys from the community, we all have a quote-unquote troubled past. We all have been justice-inflicted,” said William Nicholson, a youth mentor with Detroit Family and Friends. “We all have been in prison and … we all just have it in our heart to be able to get a kid something better to look forward to.”
Duggan and other city and state officials used the press conference as an opportunity to speak about a Public Safety and Violence Prevention Trust Fund that is currently under consideration in the Michigan Legislature.
“The impact CVI has had for mothers to feel comfortable letting their kids play in their front lawn. The dignity, the respect we're bringing back to neighborhoods is because of groups that are sitting right here that do the work,” said state Representative Alabas A. Farhat, who's advocating for the trust fund. “It's not easy. It's dangerous. It's a risk. But you do it and you do it because you believe that your neighborhoods are worth fighting for.”
If the trust fund is established, officials said it would bring nearly $20 million annually to Detroit.
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield said she plans to introduce an ordinance that would dedicate one-third of the city's potential trust fund revenue to continue and expand community violence interruption work, including ShotStoppers. The city has already identified another area on the East Side where it would like to expand.
Detroit’s interim police Chief Todd Bettison led the ShotStopper initiative when he was working as deputy mayor during the past year.
He attributed the program's success in part to the city’s decision to give each organization responsibility for its own area.
But he said there's also an uncommon element in the dynamic between community violence interruption and the police force in Detroit.
“It's something else, just really special. Our CVI groups get along with the police department. They really work together. You'd be surprised to know that in many cities it's not a good relationship between community violence, intervention groups and the police department.”
The program has been extended by Duggan for one year so far, through summer 2025.
