Community Justice Action Fund’s Policy and Advocacy Summit Holds ‘Platform for Policy’ Panel

Influence and the power of a platform were the topics of conversation during a panel discussion on gun violence policy at the Community Justice Action Fund Policy and Advocacy Summit on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Washington D.C. The full-day event, which was followed by a lobby “action day” on Wednesday, served as an immersive training for community violence intervention (CVI) professionals, gun violence survivors, and policymakers to learn how to be effective advocates and communicate top priorities for policy change.

Peace for DC Executive Director Marcus Ellis moderated the panel entitled “Using a Platform for Policy and Advocacy” with panelists that included Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) Executive Director Vaughn Bryant, NBA Social Justice Coalition Head of Programs & Partnerships Mannone Butler, Players Coalition Brand Ambassador Vincent Pierson, and Rocket Foundation Program Director Paula Park. 

Together, they explored how organizations and individuals with influence can use their platforms to bring meaningful change to communities of color dealing with high levels of gun violence.

“The most important thing is to really learn the issues that you care about and know them inside out,” said Bryant. “If you’re an influencer, you can swing things.” He spoke from the experience of not only heading up MPI, but also as a former player and later manager of Player Development for the NFL.

“If you have that influence, you have to be a good steward of that and you want to swing it in the right direction. So understanding issues and knowing how you want to impact them, [you can use] your influence and relationships.”

Butler added that large organizations, such as the NBA and NFL, have a responsibility to not only amplify the issues through their players and league initiatives, but to also pass the microphone to those doing the day-to-day work.

“It’s really important for us to understand what’s happening in our various communities, but it’s also important for us to not ‘bigfoot’ in communities. That means getting smart, but also making sure that we appreciate those who are on the ground doing the work. That’s the role we can play. We have an outsized platform to elevate the really important work that’s happening,” Butler said.

In speaking on specific ways in which gun violence survivors can be supported, panelists gave examples of hosting community safety town hall meetings, offering opportunities for funding, or simply allowing individuals with very real lived experiences to lead the work.

“When you are trying to discuss initiatives, ideas, or solutions, a lot of the times the people most impacted are not at the table, which then leads to completely ineffective solutions,” Park said. “I think just making sure they’re represented is so important.”

Regarding current CVI initiatives, Bryant generally spoke to the work being done to make community safety a top priority. The CVI model works to focus on individuals who are most at risk of being a victim of or committing an act of gun violence. Strategies include street outreach, behavioral health, workforce development, legal aid, and more.

From scaling efforts across Chicago to fostering an understanding with police to giving neighborhood residents safe outlets, these are just some of the many ways CVI is helping to heal.

“I think we all want CVI to be a permanent fixture in the public safety landscape in our local markets,” Bryant said. “In the same way that our police are a permanent fixture with a permanent budget, we believe CVI should be the same thing. So that’s something that we’re working on both locally and nationally, and that’s a huge thing.”