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If violence can be likened to a virus, then the city of Chicago suffered a troubling infection in 2008. Homicides surged above 500, and more than 35 school-age children were killed during the 2008–2009 school year either by stray bullets or premeditated acts of gun violence.

The sharp increase in killings after September 2007 seemed to coincide with the state of Illinois’ decision to cut funding for CeaseFire, an inventive initiative run by the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention, which is part of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Conceived by epidemiologist Dr. Gary Slutkin, CeaseFire takes public health principles that Slutkin learned while combating epidemics in Africa and applies them to urban neighborhoods where violence has also become an epidemic.

Photo courtesy of CeaseFire

Photo courtesy of CeaseFire

Photo courtesy of CeaseFire

Photo courtesy of CeaseFire

Photo courtesy of CeaseFire

Dr. Gary Slutkin takes a scientific approach to reducing violence in cities with the CeaseFire program.

CeaseFire director Tio Hardiman (center) helped bring the concept of "violence interrupters" to the program in 2004.

Outreach worker Jorge Matos tries to fundamentally change the thinking of kids and young adults caught up in the gang lifestyle.

At a PopTech Conference in 2008, Dr. Gary Slutkin laid out his scientific approach to reducing violence.

Interrupter Alphonso Prater keeps his ears to the street to squash beefs or disputes before they escalate into shooting incidents.

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At the core of Slutkin’s scientific, health-based approach resides a philosophy that by changing behavioral norms and interrupting transmissions—much like using condoms to prevent AIDS, for example, or providing clean water to prevent cholera—violent incidents can be, if not completely eradicated, then at least dramatically reduced and culturally marginalized. To prevent the spread of violence, CeaseFire utilizes outreach workers to counsel at-risk youth, employs marketing techniques (like billboards with slogans such as “Stop. Killing. People.”), holds anti-violence rallies and calls on local clergy and community leaders to stress that gun violence will not be tolerated.

But perhaps Slutkin’s most effective tool in halting transmission is what he and director of CeaseFire Illinois Tio Hardiman call "violence interrupters,” highly trained mediation experts who are often reformed gang members seeking to make amends for their past transgressions. These interrupters possess the street credibility to talk directly to individuals currently engaged in street conflict and others most susceptible to committing violent acts.

Interrupters often receive calls from panicked mothers who worry that their sons are about to retaliate in response to a mugging or fight, and fear that guns will be drawn and people will be killed, setting off yet another series of violent transmissions. To cool things down, interrupters attempt to broker negotiations between the disputing parties. They warn of the life-changing repercussions that will follow. By speaking the language of the street that an otherwise well-intentioned social worker or police officer might not be able to pull off, interrupters can sometimes reach people that many in society are quick to write off.

A New and Promising Approach, Limited Funding

When CeaseFire first received state funding in 2004, homicides in Chicago occurred at a rate of more than 600 per year. Since its implementation, homicides had been consistently declining under 500 until last year. Its success got the attention of other major cities, including Baltimore and Kansas City. Eight other cities are currently exploring implementation. In Illinois, seven cities outside of Chicago use the program’s methods.

When funding for the Chicago program was cut in September 2007, the number of interrupters dropped from 35 to 12, while the number of outreach workers dropped from 66 to 4. As the scourge of violence rose last year, communities rallied to reinstate funding for the program, and early in the spring of 2009 the state restored $6 million in funding, allowing the organization to re-hire interrupters, outreach workers and other street-level anti-violence messengers.

Perhaps one of the most important distinguishing elements about CeaseFire as compared to other violence-reduction efforts is the validation it received from an independent three-year study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Justice. This study confirmed what many suspected: In the neighborhoods where it was funded to operate, the program had dramatically reduced gun deaths since its formation, and the impact was almost immediate.

More Coverage Needed

But those closest to the street feel that even with funding restored to previous levels, many at-risk communities where shootings have recently transpired are not covered by the program. In a May 2009 interview with WBBM radio in Chicago, interrupter Ameena Matthews expressed her concern when she said, “There’s a high volume of shootings going on in areas where we are not in.”

CeaseFire data analyst Charlie Ransford estimates that currently CeaseFire is covering only about 25 percent of the city’s high-risk areas. Ransford estimates that it would take 261 outreach workers and 51 violence interrupters to fully cover the 117 police beats where most of the shootings and killings occur. A large drop in homicides is predicted to follow if further coverage could be achieved.

In the meantime, with a replenished staff and a renewed effort to secure citywide expansion, CeaseFire will hold its annual CeaseFire Week this June 14-20.

“The goal of CeaseFire Week is to increase awareness of the now proven program,” said Ransford, “and to have our outreach workers meet potential clients, and set a tone for the summer. Holding CeaseFire Week in early June is intentional—school is out and it’s the beginning of summer when violence typically heats up.”

Watch a video about CeaseFire: