ORLANDO, Fla. – The White House this past week held a graduation ceremony for leaders across the United States in hopes of teaching tactics to prevent violent crimes.
“I was just thinking about the people that sacrificed to help me get there,” said Raysean Brown.
A Jones High School graduate, Raysean Brown says that’s what was going through his mind after being part of the graduating class from a violence prevention training program in Washington D.C.
Vice President Kamala Harris oversaw the ceremony and joined community leaders from across the country to honor Brown and his classmates, who were the first graduates of the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy.
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“One of the biggest things I learned,” said Brown, “Understanding your city’s ecosystem. What can everybody in that community offer the violence prevention space, whether that is local businesses with jobs and providing jobs so that same dollars can be sent back into that same community.”
Brown says this has been crucial for his work here in Orlando.
Peace Orlando, a gun violence prevention program under the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, aims to impact different neighborhoods in Orlando.
They are located in five areas, Parramore, Holden Heights, Carver Shores, Mercy Drive, and Rosemont
“This is targeted intervention, this is saying ‘hey, the individuals we identify may be at risk or the highest of at risk of being the shooter or being shot,’” said Brown.
Just this past month Orlando saw at least two fatal shootings.
One man died after being shot in a parking garage downtown in early January and later that month another man was killed and one injured in a Mercy Drive apartment complex.
“We want to meet them where they are at,” said Brown.
He says that’s the goal, which is to meet those affected by gun violence, provide resources, and inspire others no matter where you come from.
“I think it’s important for us to unapologetically be ourselves and still strive for greatness and greatness will find us,” Brown said.
Peace Orlando’s violence intervention program is set to expand sometime next year by adding three additional neighborhoods.
If anyone would like to learn more about Peace Orlando or get involved click this link.
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