WASHINGTON — The DC Peace Academy has now assembled an army of around 150 peacemakers to turn the tide of violence in the District.
Twenty-two more violence interrupters graduated from the 14-week course Thursday -- the program's sixth cohort.
The group Peace for DC started the academy in 2022 to equip violence interrupters with a trauma-informed toolkit to approach conflicts in the community.
"Resorting to gun violence in the nation's capital to solve disputes is never something that should be normalized, but for too many people young and old, it has become a way of life," keynote speaker Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie said. "It has become a way of life to put yourself to sleep to the sound of gunshots. it has become a way of life to wake up to the scenes of yellow tape, blood-stained streets and countless individuals lost. Let's not celebrate it, but what we should celebrate is the work that Peace for DC is doing."
We showed you some of that work back in February at a cognitive behavioral theory training. They also bring in life coaches, faith leaders and local business owners as they teach them how to mediate conflicts and help them heal trauma, starting with their own.
Many of these violence interrupters have lost loved ones to gun violence. Some have even been incarcerated for it in the past. They know these young people and the neighborhoods they serve.
That's why the Peace for DC Executive Director Marcus Ellis is calling for more resources, like sustainable pay with benefits. He and keynote speaker Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie talked about funding roles like theirs, even though the city is facing major budget cuts.
"People often think of public safety as policing, and to be clear it is part of it -- just like prosecuting is part of it," Councilmember McDuffie said. "But, the infrastructure for policing in the District of Columbia is fairly robust...the work and the budget for this work has gotten down to virtually zero, but because of the people in this room advocating for this work...we're seeing the funding to support organizations like Peace for DC and others who are putting in the work in the trenches, in the streets start to increase."
He said yes, they are seeing the funding start to increase, but he wants to see it get closer to the police department's approximately $500 million budget.
Graduates of the program said it can be transformative.
"I lost two of my brothers to gun violence in 2020 and 2022, so I know how important that work is," said Peace Academy graduate Deja Harrison. "And now to see that there isn't as much... like the violence is decreasing, and it's not because people are getting arrested. It's because people are having conversations to move forward proactively and actually become communities together,"
Harrison is right. DC Police data shows that violent crime is down 25% from the same time last year.
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