No single strategy is enough to reduce violence on its own. Through the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Save Lives Now! brings focused deterrence, CBT, and street outreach together, three strategies, one coordinated approach. Thank you to the partners on this work.

Save Lives Now: Regional crime strategy targets highest-risk people and places in St. Louis area

A regional initiative called Save Lives Now is bringing together law enforcement, researchers and community organizations across the St. Louis area to address violent crime through a strategy that com...

firstalert4.com

From Durham to Baltimore to St. Louis, conversations about evidence-informed violence reduction continue to gain momentum. See where the VRC's collaboration was featured this quarter in our latest newsletter. Read more: mailchi.mp/9e5a21f86e4f...

In this article, VRC Director @thomasabt.bsky.social cautions against easy answers when it comes to crime reduction: “I haven’t seen any hard evidence that suggests that aggressive immigration enforcement has any effect on crime, positive or negative...It takes time for research to come out.”

Sensible ideas and a respectful critique from former Bush AG Alberto Gonzales. I'd like to see more Republicans speak out like this. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | How to make ICE smart again

Enforcing immigration law doesn’t preclude reforming it. Traffic stops have got to go.

washingtonpost.com

Excited to share the lates @vrcinfo.bsky.social newsletter - take a look!

Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction@vrcinfo.bsky.social · 2w ago

Our latest Violence Reduction Center newsletter is here! Explore the latest updates from the VRC, including progress across partner jurisdictions, recent convenings, research, and the people driving this work forward. Read here: mailchi.mp/9e5a21f86e4f...

You may say this is political, but the fact of the matter is that the Biden administration had a smart, balanced approach to reducing gun violence and the Trump team does not, which will likely result in more lives lost to gun violence. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/07/u...

Trump Administration Guts Efforts to Prevent Gun Violence, Suppressing Reports

As the administration works to expand gun rights, hospitals and community groups have lost funding, and reports on preventing firearm injuries have vanished from government websites.

nytimes.com

Birthright citizenship is noxious to MAGA. They scorn it as relying on magic dirt — the idea that there is something inherent in American soil that makes a person an American citizen. Yet the same populists seem to believe in something like magic blood — that one’s lineage can make one superior.

Opinion | MAGA’s Birthright Meltdown Is in Full Effect

nytimes.com

The Trump war on science, which is really a battle against truth, continues. This will be devastating across so many sectors, including criminology and criminal justice. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Researchers worry a Trump rule could end U.S. scientific dominance

Research organizations warn a proposed rule for federal grants would upend the medical and technological advances that set U.S. science apart.

washingtonpost.com

www.thetrace.org/2026/07/balt... Excellent article describing how Baltimore dramatically reduced homicides since 2022. Kudos to UPenn’s Ben Struhl & Jeremy Biddle, MONSE’s Stefanie Mavronis, Police Commissioner Worley, Safe Streets, Roca, YAP. Focus on the highest risk w/ supports & accountability.🙌

What Can Cities Learn From Baltimore’s Extraordinary Decline in Violence?

A growing body of research suggests that the city’s approach to reducing shootings at scale may be one of the most effective yet.

thetrace.org

Throughout Durham’s Summit on Saving Lives, participants did the work and came together to align on evidence-informed strategies to reduce gun violence. We want to thank the @cityofdurhamnc.bsky.social and @durhamcounty.bsky.social for including the VRC in these important conversations.

The @cityofdurhamnc.bsky.social Summit on Saving Lives will convene community members, practitioners, and policymakers to explore strategies for preventing violence. The VRC looks forward to collaborating with partners to build safer communities. Read more here: www.newsbreak.com/raleigh-news...

Durham to host gun violence summit with national experts Wednesday. How you can watch. - NewsBreak

Durham community members and national violence-prevention experts will come together Wednesday to try to save lives from gun violence. Organizers say the S

newsbreak.com

At the Baltimore Together Summit, @thomasabt.bsky.social celebrated Baltimore’s historic drop in violence. He also emphasized that sustaining this progress will require continued focus, strong partnerships, and a commitment to saving lives. More on the event: www.umms.org/ummc/news/20...

VRC Director @thomasabt.bsky.social delivered the keynote address at the Baltimore Together Summit on Violence Prevention, emphasizing the importance of sustained commitment to building a safer Baltimore for all, while also celebrating the city’s progress in violence prevention.

Congrats Joanee!

Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction@vrcinfo.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Congratulations to VRC intern Joanee Dias on her graduation from the University of Maryland! Joanee graduated summa cum laude from with a bachelor’s in Criminology & Criminal Justice and a minor in Law & Society.

Save Lives Now! is a St. Louis regional violence reduction initiative working toward one shared goal: saving lives and making communities safer. With continued collaboration and investment, that impact can grow. Learn more: www.ewgateway.org/save-lives-n...

Still far too much murder in the U.S., but this is remarkable progress. H/t @jeffasher.bsky.social

Sustaining violence reduction efforts like Save Lives Now! means investing in public safety, supporting communities, and preventing future harm across the St. Louis region. Saving lives should remain a shared goal. Read the latest coverage here: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...

Messenger: A plan to reduce homicides in St. Louis is working. Can it be sustained?

Save Lives Now! effort isn't fully implemented but homicides are dropping in St. Louis. Future funding remains elusive.

stltoday.com

Here's a nice piece from @tonymess.bsky.social on SaveLivesNow!, an initiative in the St. Louis region supported by @vrcinfo.bsky.social. There and around the country, evidence-informed efforts save lives, but can success be sustained without continued investment? www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...

Messenger: A plan to reduce homicides in St. Louis is working. Can it be sustained?

Save Lives Now! effort isn't fully implemented but homicides are dropping in St. Louis. Future funding remains elusive.

stltoday.com

Last week in St. Louis, leaders came together for the Save Lives Now! Collab Lab. Facilitated by the VRC, we heard perspectives from Mayor Cara Spencer, St. Louis County Director of Violence Reduction Thomas Crees, Mission: St. Louis' Jason Watson, and VRC Director @thomasabt.bsky.social

Nice primer on how to "do your own research." I am not a methodologist, so I read many studies this way. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | How to read the coffee-dementia study

A neuroscientist’s guide to reading the research yourself

washingtonpost.com

Great to be back in St. Louis and excited for the work ahead!

Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction@vrcinfo.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Today we are in St. Louis, facilitating a SaveLivesNow! CollabLab. We've been supporting this regional anti-violence initiative for more than two years. Read about SLN! here: ewgateway.org/save-lives-n...

Check out this valuable resource from the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform Identifying High-Risk Populations for a Public Health Approach to Community Violence Intervention. Access the report here: nicjr.org/files/galler... Join the upcoming webinar: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Identifying High Risk Populations for a Public Health Approach to Community Violence Intervention. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email ...

Join David Muhammad, Mikaela Rabinowitz, and Shantay Jackson from NICJR and Vaughn Crandall from the University of Pennsylvania Crime and Justice Policy Lab, as they present their recently released pr...

us06web.zoom.us

Here's a good story on correcting progressive overreach on drugs in San Francisco. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/o...

Opinion | San Francisco Sobers Up

nytimes.com

All eyes are on the midterms as Trump uses the gov's full force to supercharge election lies in case he doesn't like the results. NEW: We just published a roadmap for journalists, advocates, and voters outlining what we can do about it. Join us, start here: 🔗 https://protdem.org/executive-override

"At least 12 of the pardoned rioters have since been charged with other serious crimes, including child molestation, assault, harassment, murder plots and charges related to a vicious dog attack." www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/o...

Opinion | The People Trump Pardoned Are on a Crime Spree

nytimes.com

Here's a nice NYT piece on Camden, a violence reduction success story. As you can see, it's not one thing, it's many. It's the police, but not just the police, it's the community as well. Success is hard to reduce to a bumper sticker. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

How Camden, N.J., Cut Its Murder Rate to a 40-Year Low

In their own words, members of the community tell the story of how change came to the city, once among the nation’s deadliest.

nytimes.com

I'm a week late but this is still a good Sunday, non-crime and justice read from @mattyglesias. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/o...

Opinion | The Democratic Brand Is Toxic in Too Many States

nytimes.com

If you work in the violence reduction field, you already know how social media can catalyze violence IRL. We need to move beyond mere awareness to developing, implementing, and testing concrete strategies.

Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction@vrcinfo.bsky.social · 5mo ago

In the News: VRC Founding Director, @thomasabt.bsky.social speaks to The Guardian about findings from the VRC Symposium on Social Media and Community Violence - including what can be done to identify and address escalating interactions online. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... #gunviolence

The time to act is now. Prevention requires coordination and commitment from tech platforms, community violence interrupters, researchers, law enforcement and impacted youth. www.techpolicy.press/social-media... #communityviolence #socialmedia #gunviolence

Please read this piece by @dupatton.bsky.social, Joseph Richardson, and myself, following @vrcinfo.bsky.social's symposium and white paper on the same topic. Everyone knows social media accelerates conflicts resulting in violence IRL, but so far responses have been ad hoc. We need to do better.

Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction@vrcinfo.bsky.social · 5mo ago

In high-risk communities, online conflict accelerates offline retaliation, write Thomas Abt, Desmond Patton, and Joseph Richardson. Prevention requires coordination and commitment from tech platforms, community violence interrupters, researchers, law enforcement and impacted youth.