KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Has Kalamazoo turned the corner on gun violence? It may be too early to tell, but it’s about to employ a number of new strategies to try.
At a public forum sponsored by state Representative Julie Rogers, those new efforts were discussed.
It’s all part of the larger BluePrint for Peace, a strategic plan to muster all the agencies working on gun violence into one unified force.
Michigan Transformation Collective director of policy and strategy Beth Berglin says a coordinating committee has begun meeting, but all groups in the area should take a look at it to see where they fit in.
She says a copy of the entire blueprint is now available online.
Tia Whitley at Gryphon place outlined plans for a new youth diversion program called “Justice Lifted” that is designed and will be facilitated by teens to target teens at risk.
Assistant Public Safety Chief David Juday says the public can help by dropping the ”code of silence” when it comes to gun violence.
Former City Commissioner Esto Juarez says snitching may not have been a big deal when drugs or minor crimes were involved, but not when lives are being lost.
Juday says there is always Silent Observer, and now there’s even an app for that.
P3TIPS allows someone to offer information anonymously.
The Blueprint for Peace can be viewed here: https://issuu.com/mitransformation/docs/blueprint_for_peace_2024_issu
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