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.”

What happens when community members, practitioners, and officials come together around evidence? @cityofdurhamnc.bsky.social and @durhamcounty.bsky.social's Summit on Saving Lives, participants shaped a set of recommendations for reducing gun violence. Read more: mailchi.mp/9e5a21f86e4f...

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...

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.

Starting soon! 📺 At 9am, tune in to join our live stream of the City-County Summit on Saving Lives ➡️ youtube.com/@CityofDurhamNC/streams

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.

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

Former Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones' op-ed in the St. Louis American highlights the importance of continued investment in Save Lives Now! and the collaborative role stakeholders play in strengthening community safety. Read here: www.ewgateway.org/wp-content/u...

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

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

Yesterday VRC Director Thomas Abt and Deputy Director Amber Parker were in St. Louis to facilitate a conversation about the region's SaveLivesNow! initiative. Bottom line: the strategy is working but needs more support to be fully functional. www.firstalert4.com/2026/04/30/s...

St. Louis region works to refine violence prevention initiative “Save Lives Now”

Leaders from St. Louis County, St. Louis City and St. Clair County met at Saint Louis University Thursday to work on collaborative anti-violence initiatives.

firstalert4.com

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 the latest Violence Reduction Center newsletter, Getting to Zero. Stay informed on current initiatives, updates, and progress toward reducing violence. Read the newsletter: mailchi.mp/51c8928aff68... Stay connected: umd.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

Myth: Violence interrupters just “talk to people.” Fact: Community violence interrupters are skilled professionals who step into high-risk moments to prevent violence. Thank you to the interrupters doing this life-saving work. Example: Roca Inc’s intervention model rocainc.org/how-we-do-it...

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

The VRC congratulates Knoxville on their meaningful progress. Knoxville’s strategy, led by Mayor Kincannon and carried out by the Office of Community Safety, police, and partners, reflects what works: focused, balanced, fair people-and place-based approaches. knoxvilletnpolice.gov/2026/04/firs....

First-quarter crime data shows continued drop in violent crime, property crime - Knoxville Police Department

Knoxville has continued to see a dramatic decrease in crime through the first quarter of 2026. From January 1 through March 31, 2026, there were no murders in Knoxville, down from four at the same tim...

knoxvilletnpolice.gov

Join the UMD Community THRIVES Laboratory Symposium on Family and Intimate Partner Violence Prevention on April 10th. We’re honored to co-sponsor this important event and contribute to meaningful conversations around prevention and awareness. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/family-and...

Good news from the City of Knoxville. To quote Mayor Indya Kincannon, "Knoxville crime prevention efforts are paying off." knoxvilletnpolice.gov/2026/04/firs....

First-quarter crime data shows continued drop in violent crime, property crime - Knoxville Police Department

Knoxville has continued to see a dramatic decrease in crime through the first quarter of 2026. From January 1 through March 31, 2026, there were no murders in Knoxville, down from four at the same tim...

knoxvilletnpolice.gov

Developed by the Joyce Foundation, this research report highlights what works in reducing gun violence: centering communities, building trust, and aligning research with real-world practice. Worth revisiting for anyone committed to community-driven solutions. www.urban.org/sites/defaul...

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

To learn more, get the white paper, and check out a webinar on the same topic, go here: vrc.umd.edu/convenings

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

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

How social media is fuelling violence in overlooked US communities

Thomas Abt, a researcher, says online taunts and barbs from songs can intensify shootings in underserved areas

theguardian.com

When engagement fuels harm — Preventing escalation takes alignment among tech platforms, violence interrupters, researchers, law enforcement, and the young people most affected. www.techpolicy.press/social-media... #socialmedia #communityviolence #gunviolence