An advisory board has recommended that two local groups split $1.5 million in funding for violence interruption efforts. If approved, it will push the two organizations to work together, despite having very different approaches.
The groups are Gideon’s Army and the Raphah Institute. Gideon’s Army relies on people on the street who work to stop violence, while the Raphah Institute runs a diversion program with the juvenile court.
The mayor’s Community Safety Partnership Fund Board made the recommendation. The 11-member board includes Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway; the CEO of the YWCA, Sharon Roberson; and Metro Nashville Police Department Deputy Chief Dwayne Greene, as well as others.
They’ve determined that Raphah and Gideon’s Army should each get $375,000 annually for two years to work on what the city is calling a “Cure Violence pilot program.” That model treats violence like an infectious disease, and trains trusted members of the community to stop its spread.
Ron Johnson is the community safety coordinator with the mayor’s office. He hopes these funds will help the groups expand their reach.
“None of them have had that extensive training that we’re hoping to be able to provide to them when they actually are awarded,” Johnson told WPLN.
But Gideon’s Army has been practicing the Cure Violence model in the Cumberland View neighborhood since 2019. Initially, it was thought that the full pool of money would go to them. Now, they’ll partner with the Raphah Institute, which was founded by a former police officer.
The recommendation will be voted on by the Metro Council.
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