On Monday night, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin held his state of the city address and discussed a variety of topics including gun violence and prevention.
Mayor Bronin spoke about unity and working together to combat the violence that's happened inside the city. During the address, he mentioned how the police department worked to reduce the number of shootings and homicides in 2021 into 2022.
“They took more illegal guns off the streets than in any years since they started counting," Bronin said. "They’ve also already solved three quarters of the homicides that happened last year and are still working on arrest.”
At this time last year, the city had more than four homicides and 24 non-fatal shootings. As of March 14, 2022, there have been eight homicides and 23 non-fatal shootings.
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"I’m deeply grateful to our law-enforcement for the work that they do but law-enforcement can't get at the underlying drivers of gun-violence," Mayor Bronin said.
The work to reduce youth crime in Hartford for Compass Youth Collaborative goes far beyond working 9-5.
On many occasions, they could be there right after a shooting happens in the city.
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"We’re focusing on the high-risk young people who are the drivers of violence," said Dean Jones, director of peacebuilders for the organization. “We’re coming in to do that CB-T training to make sure they have the skills and tools to make a better choice.”
Meeting the youth where they are is one of the driving forces as to why the organization works to create more authentic relationships and a bond around the community. The group's peace-builder program introduces kids inside the community to adults who come from their same area.
"It's that relentless pursuit of them and we show them that we care, they eventually come around and they voluntarily join our program," said Jackie Santiago-Nazario the CEO for the organization.
The commitment to the community partners includes ROCA, a group designed to help with young women and mothers who may be engaged in violence or may be victims.
“They need more time and more chances and programs that will really invest in them over the long-term to help them break that intergenerational cycle," said ROCA's Executive Vice President, Sunindiya Bhalla.
Both organizations said getting the right resources to the community and committing to the people play key roles in reducing crime.
"It's really how are we getting to them, how are we reaching them with a small team," said Julia Corrigan, vice president of programs for Compas Youth Collaborative.
Mayor Bronin announced that federal funding has helped to provide grants to community programs that serve more than 11,000 young people.
