Interrupting Community Violence to Save Lives

On May 4, 2022, the Board of Commissioners approved Resolution 22-087 | Adopting Policy Recommendations to Save Lives by Interrupting Violence.

The Community Violence Intervention Team, which included community members with lived experience, representatives from community organizations, and county, township, and city officials, developed a list of policy recommendations for local governments, community groups, and members to adopt and work towards. This includes:

  1. Setting a clear goal of saving lives by stopping violence
  2. Identifying key people and place driving violence
  3. Creating a plan for engaging key people and places
  4. Engaging key people with empathy and accountability
  5. Addressing key locations by place-based investment and policing
  6. Placing responsibility for violence reductions efforts at the top of organizations
  7. Emphasizing healing with trauma informed approaches 
  8. Investing in anti-violence workforce development
  9. Setting aside funding for new stakeholders and strategies
  10. Creating the Washtenaw County Violence Commission
  11. Building a Community Center in Eastern Washtenaw County
  12. Building a Community Mural & Safe Grieving Community Space
  13. Establish grief and loss community response protocol for violent deaths
  14. Establish a communication alert system inclusive of all working to cure violence

Watch the group's presentation of these recommendations at the May 4th meeting by clicking here. The group's presentation starts @ 1:04:28.