Dr. Paul Elam, Chief Strategy Officer, recently published an opinion piece in the Lansing State Journal. The piece discussed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to cut grant funding to gun violence prevention initiatives, including Advance Peace Lansing.

In October 2022, the city of Lansing, Ingham County and MPHI partnered to launch Advance Peace Lansing. The program combats crime by intervening in the lives of young people at the center of gun violence and helping them find safer, more productive paths.

“The Peacemaker Fellowship program provides mentorship, cognitive behavior therapy and life skills training to young people who are very likely to be victims or perpetrators of gun violence. It helps them avoid deadly confrontations. Advance Peace’s Neighborhood Change Agents make connections in the community and are often able to intervene to prevent conflicts from escalating into gunshots and homicides.”

The program has previously received federal, state and local support that has allowed it to continuously expand its efforts throughout many areas of Lansing and East Lansing, with a total of 55 fellows receiving intervention from the program. The initiative has also expanded its presence to the Lansing School District.

“By all accounts, Advance Peace Lansing is succeeding,” said Dr. Elam. “Independent research has shown that fatal shootings were cut in half in its first two years compared to the two years previous. Non-fatal shootings fell 10%.”

The DOJ cut one Advance Peace grant, and another to MPHI for $1 million intended to support causal research into gun violence prevention initiatives. Dr. Elam explained that the priorities of the DOJ and Advance Peace Lansing are in alignment, both working to combat crime, protect children and support law enforcement operations. As such, the article concluded with the assertion that cutting funding to these projects is not in the best interest of the DOJ’s priorities.

To read the full article, visit:
Viewpoint: Advance Peace works. Why cut funding? Paul Elam writes