“Two Battlefields”: Opps, Cops, and NYC Youth Gun Culture

The Center for Justice Innovation conducted an exploratory, participatory action research study of 103 youth ages 15-24  who reported carry guns in a neighborhood of Brooklyn. The research evaluates why these youth carry guns and proposing a collaborative approach to public safety.  

From the report: “The increase in gun violence experienced in many U.S. cities in 2020 and into 2021 saw an attendant increase in funding for anti-gun violence programming. Much of this funding is being funneled into crisis management strategies that include models that rely mostly on using credible messengers to diffuse immediate violent conflicts between individuals (e.g., Cure Violence) and Focused Deterrence programs. The latter relies heavily on law enforcement messaging that responses to gun carrying will be swift and severe and local community organizations encouraging engagement in services. Findings of this study indicate that additional gun violence prevention approaches—that derive from and speak to the lived experiences and cultural frameworks of participants—are sorely needed.”