The Cure Violence organization of Chicago will be in Tallahassee this week promoting its community-based program to combat gun violence.
The forums is set to engage officials of the community and members of the public to be apart of the solution in putting a stop to gun violence in Leon County and surrounding areas.
Cure Violence National Director, Frank Perez, and Executive Director of U.S. Programs, Lori Toscano, will be assessing areas of high-crime in the capital city and taking part in the public forums.
“We can’t keep doing what it is that we are doing we must look for other models or other alternatives to this thing we call violence," Perez said.
Cure Violence program is set to not only settle crime before it starts but to also aide those in need of a fresh start.
“These are all city departments, so this model is talking about taking advantage of the resources a city currently has. The bulk of the work that outreach workers do is walking people through the hiring or shelter process,” Toscano said.
Michael DeLeo, the Tallahassee police chief, has been focusing on the development of policing techniques to better address the uprising violence in the area.
“There’s no one magic program or organization that can fix everything,” DeLeo said to the Tallahassee Democrat.
It also shows that black males between the ages of 18-29 represent the majority of victims and suspects, gang affiliation plays a role in approximately 8 percent of violent incidents.
Members of the Tallahassee Gun Council on Gun Violence visited Chicago in June to receive a firsthand look at the Cure Violence program and how it affects its surrounding neighborhoods.
Cure Violence of Chicago is a program that is looking to treat and combat violence as if it were a communicable disease.
In order to effectively implement the Cure Violence program, it will cost $350,000 a year to place on-site offices in high crime areas around the city.
The goal of this program is to respond and put a stop to crime before it occurs, cutting down on fatalities and the number of arrest that occur yearly.
If you would like to attend a forum the times and locations are listed below:
Challenger Learning Center from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesday; This forum will target the business community, nonprofits and members of the public.
CareerSource Capital Region from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on South Monroe Street. This forum will be targeted toward South City residents, neighborhood associations, and members of the public.
The Challenger Learning Center from 2-4 p.m. on Wednesday. This forum will be targeted toward city and county commissions, local government and members of the public.
The Lincoln Neighborhood Center from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. This forum will be targeted toward the Greater Frenchtown residents, neighborhood associations, and members of the public.