Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace: 1st Edition

LEADERSHIP TEAM Jen Heymoss Project Lead and Chief Facilitator Reggie Moore Lead Advisor Ret. Capt. Stacey Ledbetter Criminal Justice Advisor Yafinceio Harris Street Outreach Advisor Laura Lam Strategic Advisor Ben Lando Narrative Change Practitioner Kristie May Narrative Change Practitioner

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION NETWORK Ed Genesis Community Leader, Phase 1 Tami Rey Community Leader, Phase 1 Dr. Charlae Davis Community Leader, Phase 1 Gwendolyn Hooker Community Leader, Phase 1

FACILITATORS Tia Whitley Community Action Planning Dr. Kenlana Ferguson Community Action Planning Stacy S. Jackson Community Action Planning Stephanie Hoffman Community Action Planning Amy Mervak Community Action Planning

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Email Jen Heymoss at jen@mitransformation.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

3

VISION STATEMENT

4

THE JOURNEY

5

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

8

GOALS & STRATEGIES

11

NEXT STEPS

21

APPENDIX

24

INTRODUCTION During my time in Kalamazoo, I have had many incredible opportunities to meet inspiring people and contribute to transformational community work. Through these experiences, my love for Kalamazoo and desire to see all its residents – including my children – lead safe and fulfilling lives has grown exponentially. It is for these reasons that when the opportunity arose for me to partner with Kalamazoo community members and leaders on the County’s first long-term strategy for community violence prevention, the Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of.

While gun violence has always been an issue, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought intersecting epidemics with it. In 2020, the prevalence of gun violence in Kalamazoo increased, with teens, young adults and their families being among those most heavily impacted. We have all heard or witnessed firsthand the devastation that gun violence has inflicted on our community. The harsh reality of these stories provided the motivation for our team to join the CF Leads Gun Violence Prevention Network to learn more about violence as a public health crisis. As we worked with colleagues nationwide, we established the Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace in partnership with our community.

I am eternally grateful for the knowledge and guidance of Reggie Moore, who led the Milwaukee Blueprint for Peace project and now serves as the director of Violence Prevention Policy and Engagement for the Medical College of Wisconsin Comprehensive Injury Center. With his help, our Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace team began creating a long-term strategy using a public health lens to end gun violence in Kalamazoo. We engaged in several action-planning sessions and saw how our work with Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) was foundational in establishing this Blueprint. Using elements of the TRHT framework, which relies on racial healing, relationship building and narrative change, we created a comprehensive plan to build trust among community members who represent different sectors. The goal has been to initiate long-term change at the institutional level.

This Blueprint represents the ideas and contributions of over 80 combined community organizations and government agencies, as well as hundreds of individuals across Kalamazoo County. As we worked collaboratively on this Blueprint, our team had an opportunity to speak with countless Kalamazoo residents, all of whom were invested in serving the greater good of our community. I am so profoundly grateful to everyone who voiced their opinions, attended listening sessions, provided limitless support, shared difficult truths and remained dedicated to making this Blueprint a reality.

On behalf of the Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace team and everyone who contributed to this project, this Blueprint serves as a long-term strategy aimed at decreasing the rates of violence in our community. It is an actionable plan that can be used to set transformative policies in place that ensure the safety of every resident of Kalamazoo. This Blueprint is a call to action and a reminder of what is possible when we all work together toward a common goal.

Sincerely,

Jen Heymoss Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace Project Lead and Chief Facilitator 1ST EDITION

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VISION STATEMENT

KALAMAZOO COUNTY IS A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERY ADULT AND EVERY CHILD THRIVES AND IS SAFE FROM COMMUNITY VIOLENCE. PAGE 4

KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

THE JOURNEY

We want to live in a community where all can feel and be safe.

We want to live in a community where all can feel and be safe. Individuals, neighborhoods and community organizations in Kalamazoo have devoted years to creating policies and growing programs that work to reduce violence, but ensuring the safety of every person takes a coordinated effort. Bringing everyone together to share information and resources can maximize our impact. Community-wide safety can only be achieved through community-wide engagement.

Inspired by the work and initiative of community leaders Gwendolyn Hooker and Tami Rey, in 2021 both the City and County of Kalamazoo declared gun violence a public health crisis.

Between 2018 and 2020, shooting incidents in Kalamazoo more than doubled, and numbers of shooting victims nearly tripled. Youth-involved shootings have risen steadily since 2020, and gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children and teens in Michigan. Each of these instances is undeniably traumatic for the individuals, families and communities they touch, and each is likewise evidence of ongoing systemic trauma caused by community-level factors. Social determinants of health, such as poverty, racism and inequity, are inextricably linked to gun violence. How well we care for one another’s basic needs determines the level of violence in our community.

Inspired by Milwaukee’s recent progress in reducing gun violence, Jen Heymoss, Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace project lead and chief facilitator, saw an opportunity to convene disparate local efforts around a shared vision. Milwaukee’s model, Blueprint for Peace, takes a public-health approach to gun violence reduction, complementing traditional criminal justice strategies by recognizing social determinants of health as drivers of gun violence. A public-health model employs upstream supports that prevent violence, such as poverty reduction, education, investment in the out-of-school-time sector and promoting economic stability. It also employs downstream interventions that prevent further harm, such as mental health care, grief support and community engagement efforts that reduce the chance of retaliation.

Heymoss sought out those already doing this work, assembling a gun violence prevention learning group to adapt Milwaukee’s model to meet the needs of our community. Community leaders Gwendolyn Hooker, Ed Genesis, Tami Rey, Emily Olivares, Stacey Ledbetter and Dr. Charlae Davis brought their deep and varied knowledge of Kalamazoo to the discussion. Together, they explored established promising practices from other communities. This data provided a foundation for Kalamazoo to build its own Blueprint for Peace based on the realities we face and the strengths we possess.

To understand how education, safe neighborhoods, mental health and the economy impact outcomes for

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KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

people living in Kalamazoo, facilitators Tia Whitley, Stacy Jackson, Dr. Kenlana Ferguson and Stephanie Hoffman came together with Heymoss to hear from the community. The facilitators listened to community members to gain insight on their experiences, a clear picture of community assets, and a better picture of where redundancy could be eliminated and resources more effectively invested. Hearing from individuals, families and representatives from neighborhoods, schools, nonprofits, municipalities and public safety allowed the team to connect what are often siloed entities. The goal was to build action steps that both promote safety and wellness and interrupt individual and systemic violence.

GUN VIOLENCE IS NOW THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS IN MICHIGAN.

KALAMAZOO’S BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE IS A ROADMAP FOR ADDRESSING ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE WHILE RESPONDING IN REAL-TIME TO VIOLENCE WHILE IT IS HAPPENING. Included here are actionable steps such as investing in priority neighborhoods, meaningfully serving those who experience the racial and economic marginalizations that put them at greater risk of perpetrating or becoming victims of violence, and uniting groups who are already doing this urgent work. Kalamazoo has funding and assets available that, strategically applied, can expand to meet these needs.

We must build a Kalamazoo where everyone can experience safety and freedom. With evidence-informed practice and full community engagement, we can create achievable solutions based on the assets we already hold. In the words of Reggie Moore, Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace lead advisor, and creator of the Milwaukee Blueprint for Peace, “Every system, every role, every organization and institution – everybody has a role to play.”

1ST EDITION

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

COMMUNITY Building relationships across and within varied sectors takes trust that is grown through time, transparency and accountability. Communities of color and those living in poverty are disproportionately affected by gun violence, so their voices must continuously inform this work.

Effective partnership requires us to engage empathy in service of community healing.

This Blueprint connects the voices of community members living in neighborhoods that have suffered historical disinvestment to the ears of those who have traditionally been in positions of power. Victims of violence and their families; community groups like HOPE Thru Navigation, Group Violence Intervention, Peace During War and Urban Alliance; faith-based organizations such as neighborhood churches and ISAAC; youth-serving organizations; public safety officers; philanthropic funders; and city commissioners have contributed to this framework knowing that each perspective strengthens our collective capacity for change. These relationships build the resilience we need to dismantle harm and restore health.

No one individual, organization or effort can eliminate violence in our community. Achieving this goal requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.

OUR SAFETY DEPENDS ON THE RESOURCES, ENERGY AND ASSETS WE REAP IN COLLABORATION.

1ST EDITION

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ACTION A public-health approach to community violence uses existing data and assets to create measurable action steps. Using evolving data to understand which community policies and practices increase risk and which offer remedy is critical for strategic planning. As we reinvest in historically marginalized priority neighborhoods, we have an opportunity to make improvements in housing, holistic healthcare, youth enrichment, education, food security and economic development. This Blueprint accounts for the fact that focusing community efforts toward reducing recidivism promotes healing. These actions require coordinating use of existing funding and community assets. To reduce the redundancy that strains our energy, relationships and resources, this Blueprint is a roadmap designed to be an iterative process responsive to ongoing community change.

PROMOTING PEACE IS AN ACTIVE PROCESS. The hundreds of community members who contributed to this work know that our first necessary action is building trust among one another. Building the relationships that strengthen our power to protect and yield peace has been the foundation laid by the Blueprint committee over the past two years. The next steps, outlined in this document, are our collective responsibility.

HAVI Conference From left to right: David Juday, assistant police chief of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Jennifer Heymoss, Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace project lead and chief facilitator, and Yafinceio Harris, co-founder of Peace During War, stand together at the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention Conference.

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KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

GOALS & STRATEGIES

GOALS To reduce violence and create a safer, more resilient Kalamazoo, this Blueprint identifies six goals that address the inequities and social factors that put us at risk. These intersecting and concurrent goals focus on stopping the violence happening now while investing in practices and policies shown to promote public health.

Hundreds of community members came together during lunch hours, after work, in person, in virtual meetings and over email to discuss these priorities.

FACILITATORS ESTABLISHED CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING GOALS AND ACTION ITEMS. THESE CRITERIA INCLUDED: • • • • • • • •

Leveraging existing resources and capacity Leveraging political and community will Reducing inequities Addressing risk and protective factors Focusing on prevention and public health Advancing community assets Employing best practices Complementing other local efforts and interventions.

An initial round of community goals culled from more than 80 hours of community meetings was then screened a second time by facilitators to determine the degree to which they leveraged our existing assets, held political and community will, and complemented existing local practices. The goals and action items stated on pages 14-19 represent near-term priorities, while the remaining action steps can be found on page 26.

Within these recommendations are opportunities for everyone to enhance engagement, ensure broader access to transformative tools and build a stronger, more equitable community.

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KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

GOAL 1 Stop the shooting, stop the violence.

GOAL 2 Increase access and build capacity for healing and community restoration.

GOAL 3

GOAL 4

Support children, youth and families.

Cultivate economic stability.

GOAL 5

GOAL 6

Foster safe and strong neighborhoods.

Strengthen capacity and coordination.

1ST EDITION

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Goal 1:

Stop the Shooting, Stop the Violence.

We must prevent shootings and interrupt retaliation before it happens. Effective prevention and intervention require shared data and strategic application of resources, which can only be achieved by strengthening relationships between law enforcement and priority communities. “Unifying our community ecosystem creates a wave of resources that not only supports those who are overexerted with the work but also opens up options for those who are struggling,” said Yafinceio “Big B” Harris, co-founder of street outreach and support group Peace During War. “It gives them more momentum with each resource to deal with the barriers that come up, whether it’s housing, mental health, education or workforce development.”

This unification of our systems is key to the public-health model. Tying together agencies and communities with different knowledge sets strengthens our social safety net. Chief David Boysen of Kalamazoo Public Safety has seen that law enforcement working collaboratively with street outreach is effective. “If we can provide structure and funding to build trust and work together, we can prevent shootings before they happen,” Boysen said. Supporting victims and their families as they heal from the trauma violence creates is also preventive. Those who experience violence are more likely to enact violence, so caring for survivors protects not only the individuals and families impacted but also those at risk of perpetuating cycles.

Action Steps 1. USE TIMELY, COMPREHENSIVE DATA TO PRIORITIZE PREVENTION EFFORTS. • Establish formal partnerships for data sharing agreement between agencies and research groups.

• Increase public access to data transparency and accountability.

2. REDUCE INCIDENCE OF VIOLENCE THROUGH PROACTIVE PREVENTION EFFORTS. • Strengthen capacity and alignment of local community violence intervention efforts.

• Increase community awareness and use of transformative practices and diversion programs for youth and adults.

• Implement implicit bias and micro-aggression reduction and de-escalation training to include first responders, mental health providers and community health workers.

3. RESPOND TO IMMEDIATE INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY NEEDS POST INCIDENT. • Expand support services for survivors of violence through hospital-community partnerships and social service programs.

• Expand post-incident trauma healing support, including community events and critical incident debriefing for victims, witnesses, accused and first responders, connecting them to appropriate community supports.

4. DECREASE ILLEGAL GUN AVAILABILITY. 5. PROMOTE VIOLENCE PREVENTION AS A WAY OF LIFE. • Support and promote individual capacity for conflict prevention, de-escalation and proactive bystander practices in schools and neighborhoods.

• Engage the community, parents and care providers in gun safety, conflict prevention and de-escalation.

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KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

Goal 2:

Increase access and build capacity for healing and community restoration.

WE MUST PROMOTE EQUITY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR EVERYONE. Inequitable access to healthcare and essential social services magnifies the trauma experienced by those touched by violence. By ensuring culturally relevant mental health care for survivors and perpetrators, we can support healing that prevents future violence.

As we build networks around those most impacted by violence, we have an opportunity to prevent further harm. A community connected in healing cultivates resilience and peace. “To break the cycle of violence, individuals and the community need to heal, relationships must be restored, root causes must be addressed, and our community must be empowered to take an active role in their own healing and safety,” said Dr. Kenlana Ferguson, Blueprint community action planning facilitator, racial justice practitioner and psychologist. “This community-wide public health approach attends to all these necessary conditions.”

Action Steps 1. PROMOTE HEALING, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND TRAUMA REDUCTION. •

Provide trauma reduction and healing-informed care to residents who experience primary and secondary trauma.

•

Increase coordination of mental health and trauma services across agencies to support children, youth and families who have been exposed to multiple forms of violence.

2. STRENGTHEN TREATMENT AND HEALING SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. •

Support the formation of healthy relationships and healthy gender identity, including mobilizing men and boys to intervene as allies addressing toxic masculinity that perpetuates power and privilege.

3. IDENTIFY AND SUPPORT PEOPLE AT RISK FOR SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE. •

Train community members to identify people at risk for suicide/self-harm and respond effectively by facilitating access to support services.

4. IMPROVE CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND SUPPORT CULTURAL IDENTITY OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 5. STRENGTHEN AND PRESERVE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. •

Strengthen restorative practices in courts, child welfare institutions, schools and community settings as a means to advance healing and repair relationships for survivors and perpetrators of violence and broader social networks.

1ST EDITION

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Goal 3:

Support children, youth and families.

WE MUST CREATE A COMMUNITY WHERE THE MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THRIVE. According to the City of Kalamazoo’s Chief Operating

“THE BLUEPRINT HANDLES BOTH PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION.” - Laura Lam

City of Kalamazoo’s Chief Operating Officer

Officer Laura Lam, we must “protect and provide for our children over the course of the whole childhood continuum.” Lam identifies that “the Blueprint handles both prevention and intervention, and this is the power of the public-health model.” Access to child care, support for parents and engaging opportunities for youth creates healthy families, neighborhoods and communities. Proactive interventions, instead of punitive reactions, promote healthy youth engagement and development. Investing in youth and families lays the groundwork for a safer future.

Action Steps 1. PROMOTE HEALTHY FAMILIES AND QUALITY EARLY LEARNING TO FOSTER HEALTHY CHILD DEVELOPMENT. •

Build access to high-quality and no-cost early learning supports and facilities (daycare, preschool, etc.) in priority neighborhoods.

2. CULTIVATE SAFE AND INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS. •

Develop a continuum of alternatives for school suspension, exclusion, expulsion and zero tolerance policies, emphasizing diversion, restoration and inclusion rather than exclusion and punishment.

3. ENSURE YOUTH ARE CONNECTED TO POSITIVE, CARING AND RELIABLE ADULTS. •

Strengthen quality, access and coordination of out-of-school time and summer programs for priority youth.

4. INCREASE EMPLOYMENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINES FOR JUSTICE-INVOLVED AND PRIORITY YOUTH. •

Increase coordination of youth job programs to link priority youth to paid jobs and supportive services to strengthen employability.

5. PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES, RECOGNIZING THE NEEDS OF EACH CHILD AND YOUTH.

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KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

Goal 4:

Cultivate economic stability.

We must create accessible and sustainable paths to economic strength. Poverty, unemployment and gun violence are positively correlated, and all of these factors are more prevalent in communities of color. According to a study conducted in 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, counties with the highest poverty level had firearm homicide rates 4.5 times as high and firearm suicide rates 1.3 times as high as counties with the lowest poverty level.

Firearm homicide rates in the highest poverty counties are

4.5 TIMES HIGHER than in the lowest poverty counties.

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020)

Ending economic disparity in Kalamazoo is essential to ending gun violence. To accomplish this, we must increase access to economic opportunities for those who have experienced historical wealth and income marginalization. Creating culturally responsive workplaces can remove barriers for these communities.

Investing in childcare and transportation can create essential support for families in priority areas. Establishing livable wages and increasing financial literacy can help to repair the damage caused by historical economic inequity. By hearing from those who have been economically marginalized and working from data that accurately depicts our community’s wealth and income disparity, we can focus resources on priority areas to create shared prosperity.

Action Steps 1. IMPROVE ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO SUPPORT SAFE AND INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS. •

Increase access to free-of-cost opportunities for organizations and businesses to adopt anti-racist education and policies (racial healing circles, anti-racism trainings, etc.).

2. STRENGTHEN ECONOMIC SUPPORTS FOR FAMILIES. •

Provide access to resources that support stabilization in these areas: employment, housing, child care and transportation.

3. STRENGTHEN FINANCIAL LITERACY UNDERSTANDING. •

Increase knowledge of and access to financial products (money, credit, savings, taxes, investing, life insurance and interest).

4. INCREASE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ACCESS TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN CORE NEIGHBORHOODS (FOR CORE NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS).

•

Support investing in businesses in core neighborhoods.

1ST EDITION

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Goal 5:

Foster safe and strong neighborhoods.

All of Kalamazoo’s neighborhoods must be safe places that foster positive connection. “I hope and anticipate seeing a community where everyone feels safe walking down the street in every neighborhood in Kalamazoo,” said City Commissioner Stephanie Hoffman.

“WE ARE ONE KALAMAZOO, AND VIOLENCE IS NOT AN OPTION ANY LONGER.”

DISINVESTMENT AND BLIGHT PUT PRIORITY NEIGHBORHOODS AT GREATER RISK FOR TRAUMA AND VIOLENCE.

- Stephanie Hoffman

Kalamazoo City Commissioner

Residents who have historically carried the work of sustaining these neighborhoods need greater investment from the larger community to bolster their efforts. Focusing resources on improving physical and social infrastructure creates more spaces for connection and strengthens networks between these neighborhoods and public services. To reduce community-wide violence, we must concentrate efforts on those neighborhoods most impacted. “We are one Kalamazoo, and violence is not an option any longer,” Hoffman added.

Action Steps 1. CREATE SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY SPACES. •

Create and strengthen neighborhood centers in our core neighborhoods to provide a two-generational approach for families and resources. This approach could include extracurricular activities.

2. IMPROVE GOVERNMENT-COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS. •

Sustain and expand existing community-oriented and problem-solving policing efforts to build and strengthen relationships, trust and legitimacy throughout the community.

3. BUILD RESIDENT LEADERSHIP AND COLLECTIVE ACTION. •

Expand efforts to build neighborhood/resident organizing and advocacy capacity.

4. INCREASE ACCESS TO SAFE, STABLE AND SECURE HOUSING. •

Support the Housing Equity Ordinance throughout the county.

•

Strengthen and examine code enforcement methods to ensure landlords are being held accountable for the condition and upkeep of their properties.

•

Promote neighborhood revitalization and address physical blight and nuisance properties in priority areas, including working with landlords and the city.

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KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

Goal 6:

Strengthen capacity and coordination.

A safer community can only be realized through collaboration. Coalescing community members, public institutions, private organizations, schools, churches and neighborhoods is how we access the full scope of our knowledge. Combining efforts where redundancies exist and building new relationships based on shared understanding protects the resources and energy necessary to effect change. With a foundation of common data, communication, training and evaluation practices, we can apply our knowledge and resources toward actionable implementation. “We’ll have greater capacity when our new ways of relating help us see what new efforts need to start and what existing efforts need to stop,” said Amy Mervak, Blueprint planning facilitator.

Action Steps 1. BUILD CAPACITY FOR SYSTEMS CHANGE AND INCREASED COLLABORATION ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS AND SECTORS. •

Establish and sustain a Coordinating Council that provides leadership, coordination and oversight of the implementation of the Blueprint.

•

Build and staff a community violence intervention strategy (CVI) that includes recruitment and training for community violence interventionists.

2. APPLY HEALING-INFORMED, RACIAL EQUITY AND IMPLICIT BIAS REDUCTION LENSES ACROSS SECTORS, INSTITUTES AND PARTNERS. •

Adopt a healing-informed approach to violence prevention across sectors, institutions and partners.

3. CREATE A MECHANISM FOR SUSTAINABLE VIOLENCE PREVENTION FUNDING. •

Bring funders together to support alignment with the Blueprint’s long-term goals and strategy.

•

Cultivate community cohesion.

4. DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY FOR THE BLUEPRINT’S IMPLEMENTATION. • •

Develop a training for media that promotes responsible and informed reporting of violence to reduce biased reporting, framing violence as preventable and highlighting Kalamazoo’s efforts.

Support efforts for narrative change that center marginalized experiences.

5. INCREASE EVALUATION CAPACITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. •

Use data to define priority areas.

•

Establish relationships to facilitate coordinated data sharing.

•

Create data-use agreements amongst organizations.

1ST EDITION

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CONTRIBUTOR LISTING

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bent Not Broken Black and Brown Therapy Collective Boys and Girls Club Bronson Healthcare Building Blocks of Kalamazoo Change in Christ City of Kalamazoo City of Kalamazoo Parks & Recreation Columinate Communities in Schools Kalamazoo Community Healing Centers Community Homeworks Douglass Community Association Eastside Neighborhood Association Edison Neighborhood Association Fabrick of Life Family and Children Services Fatherhood Network Fire Arts Collaborative Girls Loving Our Wisdom (GLOW) Group Violence Intervention (GVI) Gryphon Place Healing in Color HOPE thru Navigation- Helping Other People Exceed Integrated Services Kalamazoo Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy & Action in the Community (ISAAC) Kalamazoo BLOCKS (Building Leadership and Organizing Communities for Keys to Succeed) Club Kalamazoo Community Foundation Kalamazoo County Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust (ALPACT) Kalamazoo County Continuum of Care Kalamazoo County Family Courts Kalamazoo County Government Kalamazoo County Great Start Collaborative Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Kalamazoo County Intensive Learning Center Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home Kalamazoo County Office of the Sheriff Kalamazoo County Ready 4s Kalamazoo Defender Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety

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• • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Kalamazoo Empowerment Services Kalamazoo Moms Demand Action Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Kalamazoo Public Schools Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency Kalamazoo Township Police Department Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo Youth Development Network Local Initiatives Support Corporation Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church Metropolitan Kalamazoo Branch of the National Association for the Advanced of Colored People (NAACP) Michigan State Police Mothers of Hope Mt. Zion Baptist Church National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwest Michigan Next Gen Justice Northside Association for Community Development NowKalamazoo Portage Linking Our Voices Prevention Works, Inc. Read and Write Kalamazoo Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health Southwest Michigan First The Kalamazoo Promise The Synergy Health Center Trenches Church Truth, Racial Healing, Transformation Kalamazoo United Way South Central Michigan Urban Alliance Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations Western Michigan University College of Education and Human Development Western Michigan University Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Young Kings & Queens YWCA Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

NEXT STEPS

THIS BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE IS A ROADMAP FOR CHANGE. Included within are actions individuals, families, neighborhoods and organizations can take on to prevent violence and promote community safety. “Not only do I want to see the violence decrease,” Harris said, “I want to see the education and awareness grant access to individuals to be better supporters of their city.” Harris hopes this will encourage community members to become better voters and homeowners, while providing an opportunity for them to better understand what it means to be a citizen, community leader and community member.

These evidence-informed strategies can be effectively implemented with the resources and relationships we already possess. Through shared data, common practice and equitable leadership, we can sustainably reduce violence in Kalamazoo. “We have so many beautiful resources in Kalamazoo,” Harris said. “We’re rich in resources. This can allow entities to put structures and sharing agreements into place so we can take this full throttle. We’re not just saving a life, we’re saving our community.”

IMPLEMENTATION BEGINS IN 2024 WITH ACTIONABLE STEPS PRIORITIZED BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND DRAFTED BY COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM ACROSS ALL SECTORS.

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Data Dr. Ferguson hopes to see this work “resourced, implemented and evaluated using real-time feedback, learning and adaptation.” A public-health model relies on broad access to relevant data.

Such access facilitates identification of priority neighborhoods and ongoing evaluation as implementation evolves. To attain that access, we must build data literacy among those who work outside law enforcement and develop consistent means of sharing data throughout the community. Transparency in data sharing empowers community violence intervention efforts by directing energy and resources where they will be most effective.

Leadership Implementation of the Blueprint will be guided by a Coordinating Council, which will be comprised of individuals who took part in the drafting process (representatives from the varied agencies and community leaders in priority neighborhoods). The Coordinating Council will be responsible for capacity-building, oversight, alignment across sectors, integration of related initiatives and updating this Blueprint as the community evolves.

In order for these efforts to effect real change in priority communities, leadership must include those who have been historically marginalized. Ben Lando, a narrative change practitioner for this Blueprint and the founder of NowKalamazoo, advocates for the root causes of violence to be understood and for those impacted to be included in implementing a solution. “Dependents and their families, Gen Z especially, need to be empowered, as they are the ones who can evaluate real solutions and, hopefully, be at the forefront of the Blueprint working.”

Support

Training

The action items outlined in this Blueprint were identified by hundreds of community members as priority efforts that address social determinants of health. These action items will be carried out by the individuals and entities most relevant and appropriate to address them. The Coordinating Council will provide support for projects and partnerships related to identified action steps. Andrea Macklin, associate director of Community Impact for United Way of South Central Michigan, is hopeful that this Blueprint will usher in an era of change. “Now that there is a concrete set of action steps, I hope to see funders, elected officials and community members align behind the strategies to accomplish this goal together.”

In addition to building a data backbone and launching the Coordinating Council, we must build a countywide model for community violence intervention.

Developing training and a universal language better aligns individuals and organizations for strategic use of resources. A shared understanding of effective practice allows us to rely on and reinforce one another rather than siloing efforts.

“We need to support one another,” said Michael Monroe, a Group Violence Intervention street outreach worker. “We need to have more of a community. Why can’t we do it together? If our young people see us not coming together to do this work, how can we convince them to come together?”

1ST EDITION

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APPENDIX

APPENDIX A: ACTIVE LISTENING SESSION PARTICIPANTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Aaron Rusch, YWCA Kalamazoo Abra Stepps, Kalamazoo Youth Development Network Alecia Cheanult, Prevention Works Alejandro Rodriguez, Change in Christ Amber Walker-Hunter, Healing in Color Amy Mervak, Amy Mervak Coaching and Consulting Andrea Macklin, United Way of South Central Michigan Anthony Saltarelli, Bronson Healthcare Ashley Bergeon, Gryphon Place Ashley Chelbek, YWCA Kalamazoo Ashley Kipp, Gryphon Place Ben Lando, NowKalamazoo Beth Berglin, Michigan Transformation Collective Brianne Rose Pitts, Western Michigan University Carlos Brown, Integrated Services Kalamazoo Casey Coker, Private Practice Chad Wendt, City of Kalamazoo Parks & Recreation Chantel Lindsey, Fabrick of Life Charlae Davis, ISAAC Charlene Taylor, Community Healing Centers Chief Ergang, Kalamazoo Township Police Department Chris Praedel, Community Homeworks Clarence Lloyd, Southwest Michigan First Craig McCane, Kalamazoo Public Schools Dave Boysen, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety David Juday, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Deanna F. Omoniyi, Kalamazoo Empowerment Services Derek Miller, Kalamazoo County Care Coordinator Diane Marquess, Family and Children Services Dominica Sims, Girls Loving Our Wisdom, Dominica’s Promise Don Cooney, City of Kalamazoo Don Webster, Kalamazoo Public Schools Dontray Hemphill, Bent Not Broken Dr. Kenlana Ferguson, Ferguson Consults Ebony Hemphill, Bent Not Broken Ed Genesis, BLOCKS Club Emily Bybee, Portage Linking our Voices Emily Olivares, Michigan Transformation Collective Eric Cunningham, Local Initiatives Support Corporation Esteven Juarez, City of Kalamazoo Floyd Matthews, Urban Alliance Genesis Griffin, Kalamazoo Youth Development Network Gus Calbert, Walker Institute Gwendolyn Hooker, HOPE thru Navigation Hether Frayer, Columinate Isaac Carter, KRESA Jacob Johnson, Fatherhood Network Jacquline Slaby, City of Kalamazoo Jaishree Khatri, Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home James Devers, Communities in Schools Kalamazoo James Harris, Urban Alliance Jaquis Robinson, Gryphon Place Jeannette Bayyapuneedi, Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health Jen Heymoss, Michigan Transformation Collective Jen Strebs, Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health Jennifer Coyle, Moms Demand Action Kalamazoo Jessica Glynn, YWCA Kalamazoo Jill Chestang, National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwest Michigan Joel Murr, Bronson Healthcare 1ST EDITION

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Josh Hilgart, Kalamazoo Defender Justin Ealy, Gryphon Place Kama Mitchell, Black and Brown Therapy Collective Katie McPherson, Building Blocks of Kalamazoo Kevin Catlin, Kalamazoo County Government Kevin Ford, City of Kalamazoo Kim Barr, Bronson Healthcare Kristie May, NowKalamazoo Kristyn Buhl-Lepisto, Kalamazoo County Ready 4s Laird Walker, Kalamazoo County Intensive Learning Center LaTonya Turner, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Laura Draper, Kalamazoo County Intensive Learning Center Laura Lam, City of Kalamazoo Lauren Cooper, Integrated Services Kalamazoo Lindsey Rowell, Boys and Girls Club Lisa Jenkins-Meredith, KRESA Lola Amos, Prevention Works Luchara Wallace, Walker Institute Lyonel Lagrone, United Way of South Central Michigan Mark Hill, Kalamazoo Public Schools Matt Lynn, Boys and Girls Club Matt Milcarek, Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services Mattie Jordan-Woods, NACD Meg Blinkiewicz, Kalamazoo Youth Development Network Melody Woods, Kalamazoo Defender Michael Monroe, Group Violence Intervention Michael Wilder, Group Violence Intervention Michelle Greenlee, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Michelle Weemhoff, Next Gen Justice Millard Southern, Metropolitan A.M.E. Church Namita Sharma, Kalamazoo County Family Courts Nkenga Bergan, Kalamazoo Valley Community College Nolan Bergstrom, City of Kalamazoo Pat Taylor, Eastside Neighborhood Association Patrese Griffin, Continuum of Care Kalamazoo Patrick McVerry, City of Kalamazoo Parks & Recreation Regena Nelson, TRHT Education Design Team Reggie Ferguson, Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home Reggie Moore, Medical College of Wisconsin Sara Carroll-Muniz, TRHT Education Design Team Sarah Drumm, Kalamazoo County Great Start Collaborative Shacara Burrel, Becoming Balanced Sherry Thomas-Cloud, Family and Children Services Sonja Dean, Local Initiatives Support Corporation Stacy Jackson, Why Not? Consulting Stacy Ledbetter, Douglass Community Association Stephanie Hoffman, Evolution Housing Advocacy and Services Stephanie Vallar, Building Blocks of Kalamazoo Stephen Dupuie, Edison Neighborhood Association Takisha Johnson, Young Kings & Queens Tami Rey, Kalamazoo County Government Tanisha Smith, Walker Institute Terrell Cole, Kalamazoo County Government Tia Whitley, Gryphon Place Valerie Cunningham, The Synergy Health Center Victor Green, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Wendy Fields, Metropolitan Kalamazoo Branch of the NAACP Yafinceio Harris, Peace During War

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APPENDIX B: ADDITIONAL ACTION STEPS This list contains additional action steps not included in the Goals section of this publication. These action steps are not prioritized for completion within the first three years of implementing this Blueprint. The long-term goal is for all action steps (prioritized or otherwise) to be completed as part of the overarching goal of the Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace.

GOAL 1 - STOP THE SHOOTING, STOP THE VIOLENCE. • Expand programs and services for returning citizens.

• Increase community capacity for conflict de-escalation and safe bystander intervention.

• Provide intensive intervention services for youth and adults who have caused violence.

• Support dialogue, state policy and legislation that promotes gun safety.

• Provide community education on firearm possession, straw purchases and ghost guns.

GOAL 2 - INCREASE ACCESS AND BUILD CAPACITY FOR HEALING AND COMMUNITY RESTORATION. • Support professionals who address violence and others experiencing secondary trauma.

• Establish and promote peer support network for professionals who address violence and other trauma support services.

• Promote and support outreach to reduce stigmatization and increase utilization of emergency mental and behavioral health services in the community.

• Provide no-cost mental health care for youth and families, especially those impacted by violence.

• Expand awareness and access to survivor-centered sexual and domestic violence services.

• Advocate for the enforcement of policies that enhance safety of survivors before, during and after legal proceedings.

• Support leadership and empowerment programming for women and girls in priority schools and neighborhoods.

• Adopt comprehensive school-based sexual violence and teen dating violence prevention policies and practices that also address the needs of LGBTQ youth.

• Adopt a comprehensive approach to sexual health education (definition of comprehensive approach needed).

• Support treatment to prevent suicide attempts such as discharge information sessions and active follow-up approaches to prevent suicide.

• Promote suicide prevention education and crisis intervention resources.

• Build and expand the pipeline of culturally competent, BIPOC and non-traditional mental wellness and health care providers.

• Promote culturally rooted healing, resilience and social development for youth.

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Provide opportunities for community members to engage in cross-cultural healing activities together.

GOAL 3 - SUPPORT CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES. • • • • • • • • •

Promote early childhood home visitation and positive parenting programs in priority areas.

Strengthen preschool enrichment with family engagement experiences.

Support father-child connectedness including opportunities for systems-involved fathers in priority areas.

Develop and enhance a multi-generational approach to family engagement in priority areas.

Increase culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices for staff, students and families, including mental health support, emphasizing restorative practices to bolster school-based violence prevention.

Increase support of credible messengers in school environments and shift policies to ensure credible messengers can access school environments.

Center the voices of priority youth, families and school employees to understand what a healing-centered school environment looks and feels like, and include them in strategy building.

Empower young people to become violence prevention advocates and speak out against behaviors that promote violence. This includes reinforcing positive behavior and offering support in situations where violence has occurred or may occur.

Develop and adopt community-wide standards for what it means to be a trusted and quality mentor, and provide the necessary tools to secure positive outcomes in mentoring relationships.

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KALAMAZOO BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE

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Strengthen coordination of how priority youth are connected to mentors.

Develop opportunities for young people ages 14-25 who have been disconnected from school and the workforce to support skill development and reconnection to education and employment.

Increase job opportunities, on-the-job training and retention strategies for youth through employer engagement.

Expand the understanding and utilization of the expungement process for justice-involved youth.

Expand access for priority youth to obtain reliable transportation to school and/or work.

Petition employers to share in a commitment to pay an equitable wage to youth in employment and workforce development programs.

Enhance opportunities for academic credit recovery and high school completion.

Increase youth learning by promoting school attendance and motivating factors with a culturally responsive approach that mitigates barriers.

Identify and map free multilingual, age specific support in and out of school for community members seeking social, educational and academic opportunities.

Create a system and process to center youth and caregivers’ voices to co-create and implement liberatory environments that demonstrate what “high quality” means to them.

GOAL 4 - CULTIVATE ECONOMIC STABILITY. • Establish and incentivize proactive policies that increase practices of equity in wages, benefits and access to wellness supports.

• Establish systems for providing living wages to caregivers overseeing children ages zero to three.

• Support organizations and business that promote skill development and enhancement programming in priority areas.

• Increase funding to support worker-owned cooperative models (child care, housing, etc.).

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Provide support for marketing of information to increase alignment and cross-coordination of resources.

.GOAL 5: FOSTER SAFE AND STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS. • Organize events throughout the community to promote awareness about the violence occurring, including colleges and universities in the process.

• Collaborate with organizations providing youth-led initiatives to create ways of being in community spaces and parks, so guests can feel safe and protected.

• Increase investments in parks and playground infrastructure, equipment, and landscaping in core neighborhoods to ensure parks and playgrounds are safe and accessible for all.

• Provide increased opportunities for government-community partnerships and trust-building.

• Increase knowledge, awareness and power provided through civic engagement among residents in core neighborhoods. Build capacity for residents to lead organizations to address the needs of the neighborhoods.

• Collaborate with neighborhood associations and residents to advocate collectively on issues that negatively impact our community, i.e., liquor license ordinance.

• Increase support for programs that provide financial assistance to low-income households, including repair programs for homes that have sustained bullet hole damage.

• Hold property management companies accountable for the safety and upkeep of federally subsidized housing developments.

GOAL 6: STRENGTHEN CAPACITY AND COORDINATION. • Build capacity and collaboration across priority areas in countywide implementation.

• Develop a common language to use in implementing and communicating this Blueprint.

• Adopt an equitable approach to violence prevention across sectors, institutions and partners.

• Ensure effective internal and external communication about the efforts and impact of this Blueprint.

• Build an understanding of how to interpret data and communicate it responsibly.

1ST EDITION

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THIS REPORT WAS PREPARED BY: