A community organization in Ingham County is ramping up efforts to combat gun violence, urging policymakers to adopt more proactive approaches to prevent future conflicts.
Advance Peace, a partnership led by the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI), works to intervene in gang-related violence and provides resources for those who have been involved with gun violence.
The initiative is poised to expand its presence in Lansing, where seven young people were shot on Memorial Day leading to the death of a 17-year-old.
Those plans include taking on a new group of fellows to mentor as well as hiring additional staff to support high schools and mediate in street-level conflicts.
Paul Elam, chief strategy officer with MPHI, said Advance Peace is effective because it treats gun violence as a public health issue.
“We are looking at gun violence as a preventable epidemic," Elam said. "We believe if we do this work right then we will begin to see reductions in gun violence.”
Speaking from the Mackinac Policy Conference, Elam said the program has already led to reductions in gun violence.
According to data from the Lansing Police Department, there were 72 shooting incidents between this January through the end of April, compared to 106 over that same period last year.
Elam said officials at all levels of government need to implement preventative measures to address the root causes of conflicts.
“We can't wait until we have another shooting for us to wake up and start focusing on this," he said. "We have to focus on this every day to make sure that we don't have another shooting. More prevention and less intervention.”
Elam said those efforts involve approaches that would precede a law enforcement response. Those could include partnerships between public and non-profit organizations, an expansion of programs to connect and build trust with youth, and opportunities to offer therapy to those facing violence-related trauma.
He added Lansing’s recently approved budget for next year supports community intervention by allocating funding to study an Office of Neighborhood Safety and explore a violence reduction strategy.
The organization also received a grant to expand into neighboring East Lansing. Advance Peace intends to seek matching funds and approval from the East Lansing City Council in the coming weeks.