CU Moms Demand Action and Truce

The local area Moms Demand Action group is partnering with Truce to raise awareness, funding, and local government support for the intervention program designed to interrupt cycles of violence in communities struggling with gun violence. The two day training was deemed a success by organizers and there will likely be new opportunities to participate in 2019 according to their follow up post via the CU Area Project facebook page. WCIA had a video segment about the recent training here. The News-Gazette also had coverage:

'Violence interrupters' get first training in effort to help curb shootings 
With one of the deadliest years on record about to come to a close, a group of about three dozen community members are taking steps they hope will make Champaign-Urbana a less violent place to call home in 2019.

A month after Champaign City Council members were briefed on disturbing gun violence statistics during an update on the C-U Fresh Start program — 109 shooting incidents and eight homicides in the two cities in the first 10 months of the year alone — another local initiative was launched over the weekend with a similar goal.

Community members were trained on becoming "violence interrupters" — the term used to describe those who detect conflicts before they intensify. One example: If a shooting has occurred, interrupters will reach out to the victim's friends and relatives to try to prevent retaliation.

The local group — which will go through 40 hours of training — took part in two eight-hour sessions over the weekend, covering techniques that included conflict resolution, violence prevention and intervention strategies.

Lots of additional information at the full article here. More information on the CU Area Project and upcoming 2019 Truce training here. More information on Moms Demand Action here. A link to their GoFundMe page is here.