Written by Tanya Terry
On August 21, the Genesee County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a contract between Genesee County and Peacekeepers International to provide training to 100 law enforcement professionals and 100 community members. The contract is intended to address youth violence and increase trust in the criminal justice system, and up to $50,000 has now been allocated for this purpose.
The Peacekeeper Global Initiative is a community action plan designed to help promote peace, love, and unity in a communities across the country that are plagued by crime and gun violence
Charles Winfrey, District 2 commissioner, stated he felt the Peacekeepers had been doing a great job in this area.
He added: “They are out in the streets, constructively remediating conflicts between rival gangs and other community conflicts.”
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley had recently announced a new Peer Mediator initiative to help Flint youth de-escalate violence. The program is to train 12 to 14-year-olds as peer mediators to resolve conflicts before they escalate to violence. Participants are learning communication skills, non-violent intervention, and how to deal with negative emotions. New Standard Academy, Flint Community Schools, and the Peacemakers are confirmed participants.
The county program is also to focus on young people.
According to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton, the county program will be bringing police and community members together for training programs called Educating Neighborhoods to Obey Those in Authority and Alternative Training Offered to Neighborhood Enforcement or Educators.
Tamara Phillips, chief assistant prosecuting attorney for Genesee County stated that people sometimes are not willing to come forward or fail to show up and testify in court due to lack of trust in law enforcement.
Phillips said she believes the program will not only decrease the number of violent crimes involving youth, but also will reduce the county’s caseload backlog.
The Peacekeepers initiative will be supported through state funds from a High Crime Community Support Grant.
