Chicago Sports Alliance Honors MPI, Training Manager Micheal Davis Speaks on Impact of CVI

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) was among three organizations honored by the Chicago Sports Alliance (CSA) at their “Community Safety Huddle” at the United Center on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. MPI was joined by Chicago CRED‘s Southside Women’s Program and the University of Chicago Medical Center’s Violence Recovery Program as the CSA recognized their efforts in addressing gun violence across the city.

Ahead of Wednesday’s event, the CSA announced it would provide $1.5 million in grant funding to the three organizations in support of their efforts. The Chicago Sports Alliance Fund, a Robert R. McCormick Foundation Fund, has donated nearly $12 million to local organizations since its inception in 2017 as a collaboration between the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, and White Sox. 

The partnership is also supported by the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition.

The “Community Safety Huddle,” hosted by FOX 32 anchor Brian Jackson, began with a powerful conversation with Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) Training Manager Micheal Davis. He shared his journey from being incarcerated at 17 years old and spending two decades behind bars to becoming a leader in the field of Community Violence Intervention (CVI). 

Davis said he fortified his mind while being locked up, obtaining more than 200 college credits. By the time of his release, he said he was ready to hit the ground running and transform his life. But, as a returning citizen, he recognized that the cards were stacked against him.

“Coming home from prison is like being down by 20 points in the fourth quarter, and depending on your age, that’s how many minutes [are] left on the clock. It’s a different game,” Davis explained. 

“You have to play great defense. You can’t turn the ball over. You have to take great shots, but you also know you have to take some half-court shots.”

After finding his footing with the support of his family, Davis eventually became an Outreach Worker at Claretian Associates, an organization within Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P). He went on to graduate from the MPA in 2024 as a member of the Crisis Prevention and Response Unit Cohort 1 and Victim Services Cohort 3. He now works as a Training Manager at the Academy, where he teaches classes to those coming up behind him. 

Davis explained that CVI is one of the few fields that embraces formerly incarcerated individuals and offers them pathways to new opportunities. The hard work of these professionals, coupled with their lived experiences, makes them well-equipped in the fight against gun violence.

“[CVI professionals] are the immune system to violence. […] We are like the white T cells where we work, because white T cells specifically attack cancerous agents inside your body.” Davis said. “That’s what the CVI space does. That’s what we do. We save lives every day.”

In speaking directly to funders in the room who might’ve been wondering where their dollars are going, Davis said, “When you put money in our industry, we have a tenfold ROI, or return on investment, on human capital. I have people who text me every day saying, ‘Hey Mike, thank you for the knowledge you give us. Thank you for the information and insight.’ I’m very passionate about what I do.”

Davis is just one of countless individuals who have found purpose and success in CVI, and who prove that transformation is possible through this work. As the field of CVI continues to grow with a network of street outreach, case management, and victim service professionals, Chicago has felt the impact with an overall reduction in violence.

Most recently, Chicago reported the lowest levels of violence in the city over Memorial Day weekend in at least 16 years.

Following the conversation with Davis, Jackson led a panel discussion with MPI Executive Director Vaughn Bryant, UChicago’s Lead Violence Response Specialist Dwayne Johnson, and Chicago CRED Founder Arne Duncan. Together, they further explained the work of their organizations and detailed how the CSA’s grant will help support their efforts.

Bryant said his organization will use the funding to help support CP4P, which is convened by MPI. The coalition of 15 organizations spread out over 28 communities works to reduce gun violence in neighborhoods at highest risk. 

The funding from CSA comes at a critical time with the recent termination of over 75 federal grants by the Department of Justice. These grants, totaling more than $180 million, provided support to CVI organizations across the country.

CSA’s grant funding will specifically support MPI’s workforce development and behavioral health services.

Looking ahead, Bryant said MPI is set to launch its Youth Interventions initiative in partnership with Chicago Public Schools’ Back to Our Future initiative. The goal is to reach youth, ages 14 to 21, who have been disconnected from the educational system and are at risk of being involved in or exposed to gun violence.

“[We’re trying] to cut off the pipeline. Seventy percent of our CVI participants don’t have a GED,” Bryant said. “So if we’re starting to work with people that are already disconnected from school, then we’re going to get to them earlier.

“We’ve got to be able to support everybody around those individuals. If that means working with the family, we will work with the family in order for them to support the individuals in a better way.”

MPI’s Youth Interventions initiative is slated to launch August 2025.

Learn more about the CSA here.