Breaking Away From Hate

Homicide and shooting rates are declining in Baltimore. Officials credit the city's Group Violence Reduction Strategy that, when possible, offers services and support to those participating in violent crime instead of law-enforcement action.

The Mural Movement uses the power of art as a tool to help Black and brown communities heal when grappling with gun violence and racism. The group works with artists who create murals of victims of gun violence and now has 186 murals nationwide.

The Blueprint for Peace is a community-driven gun violence prevention plan aimed to reduce gun violence and fatal shootings. The Blueprint works by creating partnerships within the community, from police officers and first responders to individuals and those working in public city offices to become educated on the importance of trauma-informed care.

Community violence intervention programs like the interrupter model and groups like Cure Violence are deploying knowledgeable people — specifically those with experience in crime and the legal system — into neighborhoods to help steer people away from gangs and violent crime. The purpose with groups like Cure Violence is to treat violent crime — like gun violence — like an epidemic, deploying those with credibility into vulnerable populations. When Cure Violence was first launched in Chicago in 2000, shootings declined by 68%.

Survivors of gangs and gun violence, April Roby-Bell, Terra Jenkins, and Larita Rice-Barnes work to support people in the community grieving loved ones lost due to gun violence. They have formed nonprofits like the Metro East Organizing Coalition, and churches like the Restoration Outreach Center and host rallies and help organize funerals for families in need.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Canadian Museum and the Chinatown Storytelling Centre both opened in Vancouver with the goal of documenting and honoring the role of Chinese immigrants in Canadian history. Roughly 13,000 people have visited each museum since their openings, and members of the Chinese Canadian community say the exhibits preserve important stories while acknowledging the harm Chinese Candians have faced.

In response to a string of hate crimes across the country that has left the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community on edge, a volunteer-led group is standing in solidarity through more than just words. Compassion in Oakland is providing chaperone services to Asian elders. The volunteer-led group is helping the Asian-American community feel safer by accompanying people on their errands and doing street patrols to show solidarity and support.

Anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic have sparked a movement nationwide to stand up against bias and to help protect those most vulnerable to attack, the elderly. In one of America's oldest Chinese enclaves, Oakland's Chinatown, Compassion in Oakland has attracted thousands of volunteers of all races and ethnicities to chaperone the elderly on their errands and to patrol the streets as additional eyes and ears for the police. Shopkeepers and residents feel safer. And, among the volunteer protectors, bridges are being built where tensions and rivalries have long existed.

By establishing online platforms to make anonymous reports of anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic, two Canadian organizations elicited hundreds of stories that help victims to process their experiences. The first platform, Elimin8hate, was the creation of a filmmaker who understands the therapeutic value of storytelling as means of coping with trauma. Her Vancouver group's alliance with a Toronto organization attracted funding to train discussion leaders who will lead anti-racism discussions in government and businesses.

In Minnesota, volunteer chaplains are attending community events at the request of the participants to provide counsel and support to anyone who may be experiencing symptoms of trauma. Before attending any event to lend help, the volunteer "clergy, spiritual leaders and mental health leaders" first undergo a virtual cultural sensitivity and trauma training. During the events, the interfaith chaplains often perform volunteer duties, but also wear orange shirts to be easily identifiable for those who would like to share.