NEWARK OVPTR SHARES ACHIEVEMENTS AND AGENDA AT FIRST-EVER CONGRESSIONAL COMMUNITY SAFETY CAUCUS

Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced today that the City of Newark's Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR) joined other organizations to deliver messages of its achievement and agenda at the inauguration of the Congressional Community Safety Caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on September 17. Newark's OVPTR Director Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill was selected as an esteemed panelist.

The caucus was formed in July after Representative Summer Lee, (PA-12) and congressional colleagues including Newark's LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) built a coalition of advocates and launched the Community Safety Agenda, an evidence-informed approach to public safety that prioritizes care, connection, and prevention over punishment, control, and isolation. The Members of Congress will serve as co-chairs of the new caucus and work to make holistic investments into people and communities that break cycles of harm.

In addition to Representatives Lee and McIver, the congressional event was held by Representatives Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Henry "Hank" Johnson (GA-04) and Morgan McGarvey (KY-03).

Director Wingfield-Hill told attendees: "I come from the kind of community that's too often ignored. I was raised by my grandmother while my father was in prison and my mother fought through addiction. We made it through on government assistance, but what really changed my life was love, resilience, and someone giving me a chance. Today, I lead violence prevention in New Jersey's largest city - and we've brought crime down by 60 percent. That didn't happen by locking more people up. It happened because we stopped criminalizing pain and started investing in people. Real safety doesn't come from punishment - it comes from real resources, real support, and real hope,"

"I am proud to be a co-chair of the Community Safety Caucus because I've seen firsthand what's possible when we bring stakeholders to the table and create real, sustained partnerships. This caucus's work is about lifting up those efforts and pushing for the federal resources and policy changes that can scale them nationally," said Rep. McIver. "Working to keep our communities safe is at the heart of why I serve, and I know that together, we can make community safety a reality-for every family, on every block, in every city across this country."

"We launched the first-ever Congressional Community Safety Caucus to fight for safe schools, affordable housing, quality health care, and a justice system that actually delivers justice," said Rep. Lee. "Real community safety means making holistic invests in people to root out the systemic challenges that perpetuate cycles of harm. Our communities deserve more than poverty and trauma as the status quo. This caucus is about uplifting solutions rooted in care, prevention, and equity, and led by the people most impacted. I'm grateful to my colleagues and the coalition of advocates who made this caucus possible."

"Our country has too many examples of violence perpetrated against the many to fulfill the promise of safety and law and order for the few. The Trump Administration's weaponizing of the idea of safety to erode our constitutional boundaries and abuse military power in our cities makes us all less safe," said Rep. Ramirez. "That's why I am proud to join my colleague, Congresswoman Lee, as a co-chair of the new Community Safety Caucus. Together, we will continue to fight for the policies and funding necessary to protect and expand proven community safety initiatives."

"For too long, safety in America has been defined only by punishment and policing," said Rep. Johnson. "That narrow view has left too many of our communities struggling with poverty, instability, and violence. The Community Safety Caucus is about changing that by pushing for policies that invest in prevention, lift up opportunity, and give people the tools to build healthy, thriving neighborhoods. I'm honored to stand with my colleagues in this effort to reimagine what true safety looks like."

"Everyone deserves to live in a community that both is and feels safe, but we can't incarcerate our way out of poverty, substance abuse, and mental health crises. If we want to truly keep people safe, we have to address the root causes of these issues and abandon the idea of a one-size-fits-all approach," said Rep. McGarvey. "I'm proud to join my colleagues in leading this effort to push for the holistic public safety solutions our communities need."

"Every American deserves to live in a safe community free of violence and full of opportunity," said Rep. Amo. "The Community Safety Caucus's push for commonsense policies that emphasize community violence intervention, getting guns off the street, enhancing public infrastructure, and investing in mental health care will ensure communities have the tools they need to succeed. Americans need real policy solutions, not political theater. I'm proud to work with my colleagues to provide a vision of what safe, thriving communities look like."

To launch the caucus, the representatives hosted a panel on Capitol Hill and were joined by frontline workers and organizers. The discussion was moderated by Thea Sebastian of The Futures Institute and panelists included Benny Ivey of Strong Arms of Mississippi, Freedom Jones of LifeBridge Health's Center for Hope, and Director Wingfield-Hill. The panel discussed their work to interrupt violence, deescalate crises and leverage policies and budgets to make communities safer every day.

Photos from the event can be found here.

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