In Detroit's Warrendale and Cody Rouge neighborhoods, where gun violence can plague the streets in the hot summer months, a half-dozen violence prevention workers from FORCE Detroit have been checking in on young people at risk, visiting their families and keeping tabs on social media so they can mediate conflicts before they turn deadly.
Like similar programs across the country, their work has proven incredibly effective: Just a year after FORCE Detroit launched as a nonprofit in 2023, shootings and homicides dropped 52% in its service area, according to city officials. The Justice Department awarded the program a $2 million grant in September − money meant to finance its work through 2027.
But within months, the Trump administration ripped most of that money away, along with about $500 million in public safety grants pledged to more than 550 organizations in nearly all 50 states, according to an analysis from the Council on Criminal Justice.
The cuts have forced community violence intervention groups across the country to cut staff and services, putting the future of their work in jeopardy. Experts told USA TODAY they fear cutting funding right before summer − when violent crime often spikes − could reverse recent declines and cost young lives.
