Overheard at the 2026 CVI Rally for Legislative Action Day

Community Violence Intervention (CVI) advocates and professionals from across Chicago made their way down to Springfield, Illinois, on Thursday, May 14, 2026 to amplify a simple but strong message: CVI saves lives and deserves sustained funding.

The rally was primarily an opportunity to educate lawmakers and garner further support for the Reimagine Public Safety Act (RPSA), a critical piece of legislation that awards grants to community-based organizations across Illinois through the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. These grants are crucial to funding lifesaving CVI programs operated by Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) organizations and others that provide street outreach, trauma recovery, case management, workforce development, and other vital services.

This gathering comes after an especially historic year in gun violence reductions throughout Chicago in 2025, with shootings and homicides reaching a 60-year low and significant declines in areas supported by CP4P.

Hear from CVI leaders about the value of CVI work and the need for sustained funding below.

Domonique McCord, Chief Program Officer, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives

“According to Everytown for Gun Safety and the City of Chicago’s Violence Reduction Dashboard, Chicago saved approximately $66.4 million in direct taxpayer money last year. That’s $66.4 million that didn’t have to go towards hospital costs for a shooting victim or death, police, or court costs. It’s clear our work is working.

However, we can only continue to see progress with sustained funding. We’re in this for the long haul to make CVI a permanent feature of Chicago’s public safety ecosystem. Having the backing of the Reimagine Public Safety Act is crucial.”

Robert Peters, Illinois State Senator

“I have been and always will be a proud supporter of the Reimagine Public Safety Act. Violence prevention happens when we as a community come together and say, ‘How do we look out for ourselves? How do we do that together?’ It does not come from a place of isolation. It comes from a sense of seeing in each other a struggle and a pain, and saying, ‘I have your back.’

As you [CVI professionals] are out there telling people in your community that you have their back, I want you to know that down here in Springfield, I have your back. We will do everything we need to do to make sure you’re fully funded. I will walk side by side with you all, in every zip code and on every corner.”

Calvin Brown, System Program Director, Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP)

“Coming from where I come from, we dealt with a lot of violence, poverty, and drugs. A lot of us share that same experience. But the reason we’re here today is because we decided to make a change. Instead of being a bad influence, we wanted to be a good influence and help change our communities. These organizations and the funding we’ve received has helped us achieve that goal.”

Omar Dacres, Victim Advocate, ONE Northside

“The one thing I don’t want anyone to feel after they’ve been victimized is alone. In this work, we hold their hands every step of the way. The work is not done after the funerals. The work is not done after the hospital response. The work continues on, because this is what we are here for. We are the superheroes of the city.”

Aaron Rivas, Street Outreach Coordinator, New Life Centers

“It takes a community to heal a community. Boots on the ground are not enough. We need to be roots in the ground. We need to be rooted to the cause of dropping the violence. We need to be rooted to the cause of the health and well-being of our community.”

Explore more photos from the day below.