Lansing, Michigan, has experienced a remarkable reduction in shootings, but the community-based organizations credited with helping achieve this milestone are now struggling to maintain their momentum due to inconsistent funding. As the city celebrates record-low shooting numbers, violence intervention workers warn that without sustained financial support, the gains could be reversed.
From Personal Tragedy to Community Action
Sheri Pruitt’s journey into violence prevention began with profound personal loss. In August 2014, her 17-year-old son, Richard, was shot and later died from his injuries. In the aftermath, Pruitt faced not only overwhelming grief but also practical crises: her gas and electricity were shut off, and her son’s life insurance had lapsed, forcing the family to raise funds for funeral expenses.
“All of these things were happening while I’m trying to process that I lost my youngest son,” Pruitt recalled. “I realized there was a need and there were a lot of families going through the same thing.”
That realization led her to create an organization to support grieving families, offering help with medication costs, utility bills, and other immediate needs. In 2020, as gun violence spiked, she began working with Village Lansing and later joined the Lansing Empowerment Network (LEN), where she now coordinates the critical response program.
Record Declines in Shootings
Lansing has seen a dramatic drop in gun violence. As of early August this year, the city recorded only three fatal shootings and 22 nonfatal shootings, compared to 16 fatal shootings in the first eight months of 2021. July saw no shooting incidents at all, a stark contrast to eight in the same month last year and 11 in 2024.
Overall shootings have decreased by 38 percent since 2022, with fatal shootings down 46 percent and nonfatal shootings down 22 percent. Local officials and activists attribute much of this success to the work of community violence intervention (CVI) groups like Advance Peace and LEN.
The Funding Challenge
Despite these successes, CVI groups are operating on precarious financial footing. Federal grants that once supported their work have expired without replacement, forcing staff reductions and limiting their reach.
Advance Peace, which received $325,000 from the city this year (up from $300,000), has seen its staff shrink from over 20 to just five. The program, which works directly with individuals identified as high-risk for involvement in gun violence, has had to cut its fellowship from nearly 60 participants back to 15.
“We’ve had to reduce the number of individuals we can actually engage, even though our intelligence might tell us there are more individuals involved in gun violence in our city,” said Paul Elam, a criminologist at the Michigan Public Health Institute who helped bring Advance Peace to Lansing.
Dan Boggan, strategy manager for Advance Peace, emphasized the importance of consistent contact: “There’s certain people that we were in constant contact with, but when you’re spread thin, you can’t touch everybody like you need to touch them on a regular basis.”
LEN, which has only two paid contractors, is still waiting for $100,000 in operational funding approved by the city. Mike Lynn, LEN’s CEO, noted that this amount is a small fraction of the city’s general fund for public safety. “Just one of those millions could move mountains in the community violence intervention space,” he said.
A Critical Moment
Community workers argue that the current lull in shootings is not a signal to scale back but an opportunity to strengthen their efforts. “This ain’t the time to hold up, and that’s usually what people think. It’s like ‘OK, we’re good. I can go back to normal life,’” Lynn said. “This is when we gotta really increase everything we’re doing. We have to shore ourselves up. We know that at any point in time, one person can make a dumb decision and shoot five people, and we’re right back in the same scenario.”
Mayor Andy Schor acknowledged the integral role of CVI groups, stating, “The cops are there to make sure that they’re able to figure out what happened. CVI groups are able to get in and make sure there’s no retaliation.” However, he cited budget constraints, noting that the city is already investing $425,000 in community violence intervention and would need to divert funds from other services to increase that amount.
Preparing for the Future
Despite the challenges, workers like Pruitt remain committed. During quieter periods, she focuses on maintaining connections with families affected by gun violence and preparing for potential surges. “It gives me more time to make sure that everyone is getting what they need,” she said. “We definitely prepare ourselves during the down times.”
The situation in Lansing underscores a broader national conversation about the sustainability of violence prevention efforts. As federal funding dries up, cities must decide whether to prioritize long-term community safety investments that have proven effective in reducing shootings.