JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There have been more than 350 shootings in Jacksonville this year. The number of homicides this year is higher than in 2018 and 2017.
Take a walk through Moncrief with a Cure Violence mediator and they say that number would be higher if it wasn’t for the program.
Cure Violence mediator Rod Lawson knows the streets of Moncrief.
“I grew up in Hilltop, about two miles away,” Lawson said.
Cure Violence is an anti-violence initiative backed by city and law enforcement leaders that began in June. Lawson, along with mediator Anthony Smith, say they put their lives on the line every day with what they do.
“We love our city, we love our neighborhood so if we can help make our city and our neighborhood safer then we’re going to do just that,” said Smith.
As Cure Violence mediators, their job is to go out into the community and get to know people. If a situation arises where violence could occur they try and calm the situation down before anything can happen.
“The conversation isn’t easy. It’s not easy to do what we do but to do what we do is priceless, man. We are saving our community, we’re saving our neighborhood,” said Smith.
The numbers show they are saving lives.
Cure Violence mediators say they were able to mediate 52 different incidents in the last six months. They believe 37 of those incidents would have led to shootings.
"It certainly seems like the folks in those neighborhoods know that Cure Violence is there and know that there is a resource like conflict mediation, decreasing the likelihood of retaliation violence. We’re hearing that on the street,” said UF Health Jacksonville Trauma Surgeon Dr. Marie Crandall.
Yet, the number of shootings still seems to increase.
Smith has a response for people who say Cure Violence is not doing enough.
“I’ll tell them that listen, we’re doing a lot, we’re doing a lot and if they say that we’re not doing enough. I say to them well then come help, come help. You’re part of this community just like us,” Smith said.