The Secret Behind Newark’s 71% Drop in Homicides!
Can you reduce murders by taking money away from the police? Newark just proved it's possible. In Newark, NJ, they didn't just talk about police reform—they delivered results. By reallocating 5% of the police budget into community-led public health, Newark saw a staggering drop in homicides: from 112 down to just 32.
In this episode, Deputy Mayor Lakeesha Eure reveals the "unapologetic" blueprint for transforming public safety and saving lives through the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery.
Key Takeaways:
07:15 - The 5 Demands: The specific policy shifts that broke the cycle of violence.
18:01 - Real-World Coordination: How Newark got "The Streets" and Police to communicate daily.
27:10 - The $16 Million Investment: Breaking down exactly where the reallocated budget went.
43:18 - The "Building Takeover": Converting a police station into a community hub
TAKE ACTION: THE NEWARK BLUEPRINT
Replicate the Model: Don't reinvent the wheel. Access the exact frameworks used by the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR) and the Brick City Peace Collective to see how Newark coordinates its "7 Lanes of Work" .
Explore the Newark Peace Collective Hub
https://www.newarknj.gov/departments/brick-city-peace-collectiveAccess Trauma Recovery
https://www.newarknj.gov/departments/violence-prevention-trauma-recovery 2. Support the Frontline: The Newark Community Street Team (NCST) and the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition (NAVC) are the "Credible Messengers" you heard about in this episode .
Support the boots on the ground:
Partner with Newark Community Street Team https://www.newarkcommunitystreetteam.org/
Join the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition Movement https://www.facebook.com/NewarkAntiViolenceCoalition
Join the National Movement: Newark isn't an island.
Connect with the national infrastructure that Deputy Mayor Lakeesha Eure credits for scaling this work: The HAVI: Hospital-Based Intervention https://thehavi.org/
Cities United: Supporting Mayors & Leaders https://citiesunited.org/
CVI Leadership Academy: Professionalizing the Field https://www.google.com/search?q=https://cvila.org
Focused Deterrence (GVI) Explained
Sasha Cotton on the Mechanics of Group Violence Intervention (GVI) and the Operational Necessity of Legitimacy
Most public safety conversations get trapped in the binary of "gun control vs. gun rights." In this episode of The InCredible Messenger, Sasha Cotton—a leading expert on Focused Deterrence/Group Violence Intervention —joins host Jonathan McMillan to move past the slogans and look at the actual mechanics of safety.
Sasha breaks down the three-pronged communication architecture that defines GVI: law enforcement (consequences), social services (safety/resources), and community moral voices (influence). This is a masterclass in how systems move, how incentives drive behavior, and why "procedural justice" isn't just a buzzword—it’s a technical requirement for any strategy to be effective.
What you’ll learn in this masterclass on system intervention:
The "Off the Radar" Incentive: How GVI creates a tangible off-ramp for high-risk individuals to move from law enforcement’s radar into a pro-social ecosystem.
The 24-Hour Safety Blueprint: Why "general safety" isn't enough, and how sites are grounding themselves in immediate, actionable safety planning and relocation.
The Authority Paradox: A candid look at why "Neighborhood Watch" isn't a replacement for an "authority with presence" during a crisis.
Today's Victim, Tomorrow's Perpetrator: Understanding the deep interconnection between victimization and perpetration and how to break the cycle.
The Legitimacy Constraint: Why community belief in equitable policing is the only thing that allows law enforcement to actually be effective.
The Minneapolis Revelation: Sasha shares the "jarring and disturbing" lessons learned while working in Minneapolis during the murder of George Floyd.
Chapters:
00:00 – The First Principle: Direct Communication from Law Enforcement
00:45 – The Two Outcomes: Being Shot vs. Being Arrested
01:10 – The Second Lane: Social Services and Safety Messaging
01:50 – The Interconnection: Victimization and Perpetration Cycles
02:30 – Mechanics of Relocation and 24-Hour Safety Planning
03:15 – Moral Authority: The Role of Community Voices
03:50 – The "Neighborhood Watch" Reality Check
04:15 – Legitimacy and Procedural Justice as Operational Tools
Resource Links:
The National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC): An action research center at John Jay College supporting cities to implement GVI and IPVI to reduce violence and strengthen communities.
Website: nnscommunities.org
GVI Principles Breakdown: Technical documentation on the Group Violence Intervention framework.
Procedural Justice Resources: Training modules on building police legitimacy through equitable practices.
Connect with Sasha Cotton:
Professional Profile: Sasha Cotton on LinkedIn
Organization: National Network for Safe Communities
How Community Violence Intervention (CVI) and Data Save Lives: Dr. Shani Buggs
Dr. Shani Buggs on Community Violence Intervention (CVI) and the Public Health Approach to Gun Violence Prevention
Dr. Shani Buggs is a leading researcher in community violence intervention (CVI) and a vital advocate for a public health approach to gun violence prevention. In this episode, she joins host Jonathan McMillan to discuss why she left a corporate career to live in Baltimore and study why some lives are treated as tragedies while others are mere statistics.
What you’ll learn in this masterclass on community safety:
The Federal Fight for CVI Funding: How Dr. Buggs and a coalition of leaders advocated for billions in federal funding from the White House.
Data-Driven Violence Prevention: Why using science to elevate the voices of street outreach workers is the key to effective policy.
Restoring Hope as a Safety Strategy: The direct link between a lack of opportunity and "reckless" behavior in marginalized communities.
Next-Gen Leadership: Why "leadership is like milk" and how the Black and Brown Collective is training the next generation of scholars.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Navigating conventional academic spaces while maintaining an authentic connection to the front lines.
The Power of Proximity: Shani shares her journey from corporate Atlanta to the front lines of Baltimore, explaining why true leadership requires getting "proximate" to the pain and the people most impacted by policy
Investing in Hope, Not Just Programs: A deep dive into why "recklessness" is often the byproduct of hopelessness, and why the most effective public safety strategy is investing in a tangible future for young Black men and boys.
Resource Links:
The Black and Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence: A multidisciplinary network that centers equity and community-led research to address firearm violence.
Website: thebbcollective.org
The HAVI (Health Alliance for Violence Intervention): A national organization supporting hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs).
Website: thehavi.org
REDI Chicago (Rapid Employment and Development Initiative): A large-scale initiative providing subsidized jobs and cognitive-behavioral programming to those at highest risk of gun violence.
Website: crimelab.uchicago.edu/projects/readi
Cure Violence Global: An organization that treats violence as a health epidemic and utilizes "violence interrupters" to stop its spread.
Website: cvg.org
Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions: A leading academic center that conducts scientific research to identify and advocate for gun violence prevention policies.
UC Davis Centers for Violence Prevention: An interdisciplinary research hub focused on the causes and prevention of violence.
Website: health.ucdavis.edu/vprp
Direct Contact Information
Professional Profile: Dr. Shani Buggs on LinkedIn
Email:
sabugs@health.ucdavis.eduLinkedIn:Dr. Buggs on LinkedIn: Shani Buggs
How Violence Prevention Leaders Avoid Burnout and Stay Authentic| With Shawn Dove
If you’re leading violence prevention work, community intervention, or serving Black men and boys — this conversation with Shawn Dove is a leadership masterclass built from lived experience.
Shawn Dove isn’t just a thought leader. He’s someone who has walked through recovery, grief, identity, failure, and success with purpose intact. He’s the founder of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement and the author of I Too, Am America: On Loving and Leading Black Men and Boys. In this episode, he breaks open the leadership burdens most don’t talk about: the tension between public success and private struggle, the cost of wearing armor, and the invisible labor of staying whole while leading.
What you’ll get out of this episode:
What you’ll get out of this episode:
Why your inner life matters more than your inbox. Shawn lays out why you must work harder on yourself than your job — not as soft talk, but as a survival strategy for sustaining the work.
Three pillars every leader should build: a mentor, a coach, and a therapist (or true therapeutic community) — and how these relationships keep you steady in crisis and success.
A leadership spectrum you actually need: the difference between showmanship and substance — from “Django” energy to “Butler” strategy — and why emotional intelligence is your competitive advantage.
How funding systems pressure competition. Shawn calls out how philanthropy often creates scarcity and why leaders need to own their value and demand collaboration instead of competing for crumbs.
A reframing of achievement for young Black men and boys. This goes beyond credentials and programs — toward love, belonging, economic viability, purpose, and narrative power.
This isn’t about inspiration. It’s about practical leadership architecture for the people carrying this work on the frontlines. If you’re a nonprofit executive, government leader, CVI director, or funder serious about systemic change, you’ll walk away with a clearer map for leading without losing yourself.
Listen now — and share this with one person whose leadership you want to strengthen.