On WLPO Morning Show, Chicago “Violence Interrupter” Offers Approach to Streator Violence
The ongoing violence in the City of Streator has reached a new depth with the gunshot death of a 17-year-old in that city on Easter.
Tio Hardiman is the Executive Director of Violence Interrupters. He’s a community organizer, policy expert, and an author from Chicago. He applies concepts around public health and what he calls its effectiveness in order to try to reduce shootings and killings in communities suffering from street violence.
On Tuesday morning, Hardiman talked to WLPO host Rod Thorson about the spate of violence happening in Streator.. He says this isn’t a quick and easy fix, but it can be done.
Hardiman says people’s mindsets need to change so they can be part of a productive community. And that can involve facing unaddressed traumas in their lives, and getting direct, disruptive contact from credible sources they can identify with. He says Streator needs this kind of plan and approach.
To learn more about Tio Hardiman’s efforts to pre-empt violence, including his organization’s successful efforts nationally and internationally, click Violence Interrupters dot org. You can also check out his book, Interrupting Gun Violence, on Amazon.