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Southwest Organizing Project Hosts ‘Hoop, Don’t Shoot’ Basketball Tournament in Gage Park Players laced up their gym shoes and enjoyed an evening of friendly competition as Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) hosted “Hoop, Don’t Shoot,” a basketball tournament in partnership with St. Rita Church and Chicago Cares. The event took place on Tuesday, January 30, 2024…

Graduate Reflection: Fantasia Smith Details Her Experience With the Metropolitan Peace Academy “The MPA has been great for me. It has taught me so much in wanting to have integrity in my life and work.” Outreach Cohort 15 graduate and Chicago CRED Life Coach Fantasia Smith recently reflected on her time at the Metropolitan Peace…

WATCH: Project H.O.O.D. Gains New Group of Community Violence Intervention Professionals Project H.O.O.D. celebrated the achievements of several team members as they graduated from the Metropolitan Peace Academy earlier this month. Victims Advocate Chantrel Lee and Outreach Worker Leonard Salley detailed their experiences with the trainings and their plans to transform their neighborhood through community…

Scenes From the 2024 Winter Graduation of the Metropolitan Peace Academy The Metropolitan Peace Academy honored four graduating cohorts on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at South Shore Cultural Center. Eighty-five graduates received certificates and awards for completing trainings focused on case management, victim services, and street outreach. Check out the photos from the evening’s festivities…

Metropolitan Peace Academy Celebrates Graduates of Street Outreach, Case Management and Victim Advocacy Training Programs to Stop Gun Violence There was much to celebrate as the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives’ (MPI), Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) honored four graduating cohort classes on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at South Shore Cultural Center. Eighty-five graduates received certificates and awards…

How CP4P Justice Corps of the Legal Aid Society Helped This Violence Interrupter Clean Up His Criminal Background The Communities Partnering for Peace (CP4P) Justice Corps of the Legal Aid Society (LAS) supports the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives by providing civil legal services in Chicago neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence. These free and community-based services…

UCAN Provides Healing With Special MLK Day Programming UCAN celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a special program hosted at their North Lawndale headquarters on Monday, January 15, 2024. The event aimed to address present-day injustices such as disinvestment in high-risk neighborhoods and the lack of resources that lead…

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Celebrates the Grand Opening of the Metropolitan Peace Academy Training & Wellness Center in Pilsen The Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) celebrated the grand opening of the Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) Training & Wellness Center with a special ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, January 12, 2024 in Pilsen. The new site, located at…

University of Chicago Releases Year-End Crime Data, Homicides Down 12% A new report from the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab highlights the statistics on crime in Chicago in 2023. While there’s room for improvement, there is also proof of numbers trending down. The report concludes that homicides are down by 12 percent from 2022, while…

MPI’s Chief Program Officer Domonique McCord Highlights Community Violence Intervention Work on ABC 7 Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) Chief Program Officer Domonique McCord sat down with ABC 7’s Mark Rivera to discuss the efforts of the organization and the opening of the Metropolitan Peace Academy in Pilsen. The spotlight was featured in the station’s “Our…