The Thanksgiving Day stabbing on the train only heightens the worry and concern for CTA riders, yet it gives those Violence Interrupters who have decided to make trains their top priority more reason to continue what they’re doing.

“Talk to people and talk them down from hurting other people, that’s what it’s all about,” Tio Hardiman said.

Tio Hardiman and his nonprofit, Violence Interrupters, are venturing out on the CTA in an effort to live up to the organization’s name.

“I’ve been around since 2004 with Violence Interrupters, we know how to detect potential incidents and intervene on the front end before shots are fired and before anyone is harmed,” Hardiman said.

The arrest of Lawrence Reed for the fire attack of Bethany McGee, 26, on a Blue Line train this month left many in disbelief. The interrupters started their presence on the rail line on Thursday.

“We may go back to Red Line tho,” Hardiman said. “You have more issues on the Red Line.”

“They always say this is a world-class city, let’s act like it,” Rodney Phillips said.

The Violence Interrupters respect the security efforts CTA has made, but they said K9s, patrols, and police aren’t the only things to help deter crime.

“We’re trying to prevent it before it happen, and what enables us to do that is because many of the stops the CTA is in is where violence prevention groups are. So, we already have the built-in infrastructure to make it work,” Phillips said.

“Let’s help these young brothers and turn perpetrators into protectors,” Hardiman said.

CBS Chicago examined the CTA crime data and found more than 230 aggravated batteries reported. That is more seen in the past 10 years.

As of Thursday, no arrests were made in the Red Line stabbing.