Roseland Ceasefire Warns Chicago’s Homicide Numbers Could Be Victims of Trump’s Targeted Cuts

Chicago is seeing some of its lowest homicide numbers since 1962, according to the City of Chicago. In April, 20 homicides were recorded. That brings the total number of people slain to 116, which are 35 people fewer than last year.

One of the reasons Bob Jackson of Roseland Ceasefire cites for the decrease is a combination of things, including more groups like his in high-crime areas.

“We’re seeing more boots on the ground, also residents in these areas are being more proactive about calling the police, and we have more cooperation between violence reduction organizations and police,” explains Jackson, founder and CEO of the Roseland Ceasefire Project. “I believe all of these things are contributing to get shooters off the streets.”

Roseland Ceasefire was founded in 2006 as part of the organization started by Dr. Gary Slutkin at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Ceasefire model is to treat gun violence as a health epidemic, and like any other infectious disease, you have to create some type of preventive cure, explains Jackson. Over the years, the theory of gun violence being recognized as a major public health crisis in the United States has gained increasing acceptance.

After training under Dr. Slutkin, Jackson was assigned to the Chicago Southland, based on funding support from the Illinois General Assembly and specifically, state Representatives Bob Rita and Will Davis.

“My funding was for the far South Side of Chicago, particularly the 9^th and 34^th Wards, including Pullman, West Pullman and the Roseland area. We’ve been working those areas along with south suburban Cook County, which includes Harvey, Markham, Ford Heights, Calumet City, Calumet Park, Riverdale and Park Forest,” says Jackson.

He also believes a change in attitude at the judicial level is helping to change behavior.

“For example, judges are looking at gun violence from a different view and giving first-time gun offenders a second chance, which is what 6th District judges in Markham are doing. When they get that second chance, most offenders don’t want to go back to jail and they realize there’s no more chances,” points out Jackson. “I believe that’s a deterrent to gun offenders.”

The violence interrupter says Roseland Ceasefire has programs to work with young offenders to help with anger management, housing and trying to change their economic outlook so they don’t feel they have to resort to shooting, robbing and killing.

Although homicide numbers are going in the right direction, Jackson says what gives him pause are the recent funding cuts by the Trump administration. He says organizations like Metropolitan Family Services and institutions like the University of Chicago are experiencing funding cuts, which could lead to pulling street outreach workers out of high-crime areas.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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