SWOP and Precious Blood Co-Host Community Violence Intervention Advocacy Event for Chicago Lawn & Back of the Yards Neighborhoods

Southwest Organizing Project Program Supervisor Rafi Peterson (left) and Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation Program Manager Joseph Mapp (right) discuss efforts toward gun violence reduction.

Residents, community leaders and elected officials joined Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) and Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) for a joint presentation Monday, September 11 on each organization’s respective community violence intervention (CVI) work to reduce gun violence in the Chicago Lawn and Back of the Yards neighborhoods.

IL State Representatives Theresa Mah (2nd District) and Sonya Harper (6th District), IL State Senator Celina Villanueva (12th District), Alderman Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) and representatives from the offices of IL State Senator Mattie Hunter (3rd District), U.S. Congressman Jonathan Jackson (1st District) and Alderwoman Stephanie Coleman (16th Ward) joined SWOP Executive Director Jeff Bartow, Director of Operations Chris Brown and Program Supervisor Rafi Peterson, along with PBMR Executive Director Father David Kelly, Program Manager Joseph Mapp, and Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council Executive Director Craig Chico for the discussion.

“In our Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) collaboration,” said Peterson, “all of our approaches are hyperlocal. We follow up with the community. We provide resources like bag distribution. We do front-end things like permanent conflict mediation and getting a participant a bed and a job. When people see this, they know we care. The objective is to improve the quality of life, to prevent violence, to target violence and identify how we are able to help our community.”

“Our individuals are in day-to-day survival mode,” explained Mapp. “Food insecurity, housing insecurity and lack of resources – they don’t have basic human needs. We take them to job trainings and to classes to help them succeed. They’ve been dealing with complex trauma since they were very young. We connect them with clinicians … but systemic barriers still exist.”

A question and answer session followed the presentation with significant audience engagement. Rep. Mah remarked, “This presentation has a work plan and a flow driven by research and data which gives us hope.

SWOP Senior Case Manager Armando Mancilla closed the meeting saying, “We’re in the business of healing.”

Residents, community leaders and elected officials joined Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) and Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) for a joint presentation on community violence intervention (CVI) work.