On Tuesday, Chicago’s battle against gun violence took center stage at the South Shore Cultural Center, where the spotlight was on community violence intervention efforts and their tangible impact on the city’s streets.

These unsung heroes operate every day, striving to make neighborhoods safer. Their tireless work, often performed without any public recognition, was highlighted during this rare public gathering. It was an opportunity for many of these dedicated individuals to step into the light, sharing their experiences and the challenges they face.

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Typically working behind the scenes and sometimes at considerable personal risk, these interventionists engage in critical one-on-one interactions. Their mission is to break the cycle of violence by building trust and offering support to those in need. Through these efforts, they aim to present alternatives to violence and foster conflict resolution, ultimately working to prevent disputes from arising in the first place.

It was a rare public appearance for many.

Their work is usually done without attention or fanfare, sometimes at great risk to their safety.

It’s done one-on-one to stop the cycle of violence, by gaining trust and getting people the support they need to see other ways to deal with conflict instead of violence, and to avoid conflict all together.

“What we are doing collectively is we are changing behavior. People who were carrying guns are putting down guns. People who were shooting guns are no longer shooting guns,” said Arne Duncan, with Chicago CRED.

James Mitchell said he had been shot twice and was heading to jail a few years ago. Now, Mitchell is a crisis prevention and response manager for Metropolitan Peace Initiatives.

“They can see I come from the places they come from, and I’ve changed. So being able to see the real change in a person who just stood on the corner with you I think is real significant,” Mitchell said.

Last year, Chicago had the lowest number of murders in 60 years.

“Public safety is public health; it’s economic stability. It’s dignity, and most of all it is justice for every life that we save. We are creating opportunities for Black and brown working people across this city,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

“We hold onto them, try to graduate them, get them a job, employment, help them with housing, relocation, anything. We try to help them,” said Travaris Brown, an outreach supervisor for the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago. “If you had asked me to do this seven years ago, I would have told you no. I’d probably be dead or in jail; I believe that.”

Now, Brown reaches out to help others, as others did for him.

“Continue to push us, Lord. Push us to build a city and country where every community has resources, infrastructure, the economic development it needs,” said Father Michael Pfleger, with St. Sabina Church.

Attendees returned to their communities recommitted to their work, knowing they are not alone and knowing how much their work matters to all Chicagoans.

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