Gun violence grant

DENVER DA ON TARGET WITH GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

A first-of-its-kind effort to prevent gun violence among young people will become a reality in Denver this year, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the Department of Justice and the combined work of the Denver DA’s Office, Project PAVE, The Conflict Center, the Gilliam Youth Center, Denver Public Schools, faith communities, and citizens in Denver neighborhoods affected by gun violence.

The Denver District Attorney’s Office applied for the grant in response to communities who have experienced gun violence among young people and have asked, “What can we do to stop this?” The grant will take important gun violence information and get it to kids where they are: in their neighborhood, in school, at church, and for some, in juvenile detention.

· About 40-percent of the kids in the Gilliam Youth Center each month are there for a weapons-related charge. These young people, who are most at risk of becoming a serious offender, will be able to receive intensive training on anger management, the relationship between drugs, alcohol and violence, conflict resolution, media influence on attitudes and choices about violence and other issues. This kind of intervention has never been tried before in Denver and will be led by Project PAVE.

· Faith communities will have access to new resources on gun violence prevention that can be incorporated into their current youth programs. Prevention topics include “Can You Force Respect With a Gun?” and “Myths of Media Violence” in addition to anger management information and other material. The Conflict Center will provide direct assistance to churches.

· Denver Public Schools will have a new resource for students who are involved with, or at risk for involvement with, gun violence. A youth counselor from Project PAVE will work with Cole, Smiley, and Martin Luther King middle schools as well as Montbello High School to offer an 8-week course for kids that is similar to the curriculum at Gilliam and also adds parents to the program.

· Neighborhoods will receive gun violence prevention information and education through public awareness campaigns, community meetings, and other forums. Citizens will be able to make referrals directly to Project PAVE when they become aware of a young person at risk for gun violence.

The competition for this grant money was extremely intense with applications from across the country. The Denver DA’s Office was one of only 7 big-city prosecution offices to receive money.

Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter, Jr. has made gun violence reduction a priority. “Prosecution and punishment cannot solve this problem alone,” he said. “We need to be reaching out to our young people before it’s too late.”