Trump Administration Sidelines Community-Based Gun Violence Prevention Groups, Shifts Focus to Law Enforcement Efforts
A significant shift in the Trump administration's approach to gun violence prevention has left community-based organizations in the dark. The Department of Justice (DoJ) has disqualified non-profits that were built around a grant program aimed at stopping gun violence in underserved communities from applying for new funding.
The Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI), created in 2022, was designed to support groups working in rural and urban areas to address violence and fund research on the programs' efficacy. The Biden administration recognized that community-centered programs were crucial tools in combating the US gun violence problem.
However, under the Trump administration, CVIPI has undergone a drastic transformation. City, county, and tribal governments are now eligible for grants, while non-profit organizations and local governments are no longer considered. The stated goal of the program has also shifted from comprehensive community-based prevention to supporting law enforcement efforts to reduce violent crime and improve police-community relations.
The changes come as groups that were once supported by CVIPI are struggling to adapt. Organizations such as Hope Hustlers in Atlanta, which lost a $3 million grant, have had to significantly reduce staff to cope with the cuts. "Now, the messengers are gonna be police," said Leonard Dungee, executive director of Hope Hustlers. "And they aren't going to be seen as credible in the community."
The Biden-era funding for CVIPI was a lifeline for groups struggling to get by. However, with the administration's shift in focus, many are left wondering what the future holds. The Trump administration's version of CVIPI has carried over some elements of the original program but places far more emphasis on law enforcement.
"This is extremely unfortunate," said Rey Chavis, executive director of Newark Community Street Team (NCST). "It's tone-deaf and still believes that law enforcement are the only ones who can establish safety in a community." NCST has been forced to lay off staff members and reduce its services due to the cut.
A significant shift in the Trump administration's approach to gun violence prevention has left community-based organizations in the dark. The Department of Justice (DoJ) has disqualified non-profits that were built around a grant program aimed at stopping gun violence in underserved communities from applying for new funding.
The Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI), created in 2022, was designed to support groups working in rural and urban areas to address violence and fund research on the programs' efficacy. The Biden administration recognized that community-centered programs were crucial tools in combating the US gun violence problem.
However, under the Trump administration, CVIPI has undergone a drastic transformation. City, county, and tribal governments are now eligible for grants, while non-profit organizations and local governments are no longer considered. The stated goal of the program has also shifted from comprehensive community-based prevention to supporting law enforcement efforts to reduce violent crime and improve police-community relations.
The changes come as groups that were once supported by CVIPI are struggling to adapt. Organizations such as Hope Hustlers in Atlanta, which lost a $3 million grant, have had to significantly reduce staff to cope with the cuts. "Now, the messengers are gonna be police," said Leonard Dungee, executive director of Hope Hustlers. "And they aren't going to be seen as credible in the community."
The Biden-era funding for CVIPI was a lifeline for groups struggling to get by. However, with the administration's shift in focus, many are left wondering what the future holds. The Trump administration's version of CVIPI has carried over some elements of the original program but places far more emphasis on law enforcement.
"This is extremely unfortunate," said Rey Chavis, executive director of Newark Community Street Team (NCST). "It's tone-deaf and still believes that law enforcement are the only ones who can establish safety in a community." NCST has been forced to lay off staff members and reduce its services due to the cut.
what about all the orgs that actually care about helping communities? now it's like law enforcement is the hero? doesn't make sense to me how does shifting focus from community-based prevention to law enforcement even make things better tho? sounds like they're just sweeping problems under a rug instead of tackling them head-on. what's going on with Hope Hustlers and Newark Community Street Team, did anyone reach out to help? 
...i get that politics change and all but can't they at least try to keep some of the original goals? i feel bad for these orgs having to adapt so quickly 
...it's not like they're asking for a handout, they're just trying to do their job. hope this doesn't get watered down further 
which is not going to solve anything... we need more support for grassroots efforts that actually know what's best for their communities 
. I mean, come on, who thought it was a good idea to kick out non-profit organizations that were actually doing some real work in communities? Those groups were the ones on the ground, working with people every day, and now they're just getting left behind because the Trump administration wants to push law enforcement as the only solution. Newsflash: that's not how you fix gun violence 
. You need to engage with the community, build trust, and work together to create real change. Law enforcement alone can't solve this problem 
. It's time for a new approach, one that actually listens to the people who are affected by gun violence 
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community-based orgs that were helping ppl in underserved areas are being left high & dry 
it just don't seem right 
like poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and systemic racism 
not just shift the focus to policing 
all those organizations that were making progress are being forced to scale back, while law enforcement gets more money 
and give it all to the cops instead 
. Community-based groups were doing some amazing work under CVIPI with a 30% success rate in reducing violent crime in targeted areas 
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(e.g., Yale University's Community Policing Initiative saw a 25% decrease in crime). Meanwhile, the US budget for gun violence prevention was reduced by 20% under Trump compared to Biden 
.
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. Community-centered programs are what we need, not just more cops on the beat 
.
It's just so... frustrating.