METROPOLITAN
VIOLENCE PREVENTION
VAUGHN BRYANT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, METROPOLITAN PEACE INITIATIVES & COMMUNITIES PARTNERING 4 PEACE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, METROPOLITAN PEACE INITIATIVES & COMMUNITIES PARTNERING 4 PEACE
“A level playing field is what we’re asking for,”
shares Vaughn Bryant. While COVID-19 and civil unrest have highlighted the deep level of disparity in communities where CP4P and MPI operate, Vaughn points to decades of disinvestment as a major contributor to the violence his programs work to prevent.
Seeing the anger, frustration, and confusion of those first few weeks when COVID-19 hit, Vaughn says, led him toward “refocusing on the level of empathy, patience, and endurance we need to have to reach the goal of living in a city free of violence.”
A MICROCOSM OF UNIFIED VOICES
"In the face of two pandemics [COVID-19 and violence], our city’s street outreach community continues to prove why they are the value-add in this work.” >> Vanessa DeReef, Director of Training, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives
- Delivered critical COVID-19 information as credible messengers
- Brokered peace amid racial tensions between neighboring communities
- Supported businesses affected by looting