BALTIMORE — Malik Grant’s early life was filled with challenges, marked by his father’s imprisonment and his mother’s struggles with alcoholism. Growing up in such an unstable environment led him to expect disappointment from others. However, his outlook began to change when outreach workers from an anti-violence initiative in Baltimore approached him for support.
Now, two years later, Grant is thriving with a secure apartment and a stable job at the city’s Department of Public Works. Additionally, he has launched his own business offering services in cleaning, landscaping, and junk removal, with plans to employ other young men from his old neighborhood to illustrate the possibilities that come with hard work. “I just needed a push,” he expressed with optimism.
Grant, now 29, is among roughly 200 individuals benefiting from Baltimore’s newly instituted Group Violence Reduction Strategy. This program aims to tackle the underlying factors contributing to gun violence, such as despair, unemployment, poverty, mental health issues, substance abuse, unstable housing, and poor conflict resolution skills.
The strategy employs a dual approach, offering resources and social services to individuals deemed at high risk of becoming either shooters or victims. Conversely, those who continue engaging in criminal activities face the prospect of police investigations and possible arrests, resulting in over 350 apprehensions since the program’s inception in January 2022.
Initial outcomes show promise, as Baltimore’s homicide rate fell to an impressive 201 in 2024, the lowest figure recorded in over ten years. This represents a 23% decrease from the previous year and continues a downward trend that began in 2023. Reports of nonfatal shootings have also seen a significant decline.
The drop in violence mirrors national patterns, as many urban areas experienced increased violence during the pandemic. Cities like Philadelphia and Detroit are also witnessing reduced homicide rates, bringing a sense of relief to Baltimore, where gun violence escalated after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, highlighting the pressing need for police reform. Although a variety of factors likely contributed to this decline, including enhanced policing methods and adept investigative work, local leaders attribute much of their success to initiatives like the Group Violence Reduction Strategy.
Each participant in the program is matched with a life coach who aids them in navigating essential life tasks, from securing a driver’s license and opening a bank account to obtaining food benefits, earning a GED, securing stable housing, and maintaining employment. Often, this path means abandoning familiar or detrimental habits and embracing change, even when the prospect of a better future seems out of reach, according to Sterling Herring from Youth Advocate Programs, which collaborates with the city to deliver these services.
Many participants come from backgrounds where they may remember their jail identification better than their social security number, reflecting a mindset that needs transformation, Herring emphasized. Grant himself endured a life-altering experience when he survived a shooting in 2020 that left him in a coma. After partnering with Youth Advocate Programs, he qualified for immediate relocation assistance and temporarily lived in hotels before finally securing his own apartment—a space he now proudly calls home, sharing it with his cherished dog, a husky-pit bull mix.
Having benefited from rental support over the past months, Grant is on the verge of independently managing his rent payments. He recently celebrated signing a contract for his cleaning business, humorously noting how his obsessive-compulsive disorder may make him particularly well-suited for such a venture. Life coach Sacha Smith remarked, “He turned his childhood trauma into treasure.”
Experts assert that focused deterrence initiatives are effective in lowering gun violence rates, though Baltimore has previously struggled to implement similar strategies successfully. For such programs to thrive, they require committed and capable staff along with adequate resources. Additionally, the law enforcement component must build robust cases to ensure successful prosecutions.
“You want the program to fundamentally change the entire law enforcement system’s approach to combating gun violence,” stated Daniel Webster, a professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions. While lauding the city’s current efforts, Webster noted the importance of tighter federal and state gun legislation and a more rigorous prosecution of illegal firearm cases in Baltimore.
In the meantime, the Baltimore Police Department is undergoing significant changes mandated by the courts to eliminate unconstitutional practices, a response to investigations initiated by the Justice Department following Freddie Gray’s tragic death. The subsequent spike in homicides persisted for several years.
Police Commissioner Richard Worley emphasized that the city is demonstrating that it is possible to reduce violent crime while simultaneously reforming law enforcement practices. He credits the success to the robust partnerships forged between city agencies, community organizations, and law enforcement.
The anti-violence strategy has so far been implemented in four out of the nine police districts, with plans to extend its reach citywide. Preliminary research indicates that this initiative has contributed to a 25% reduction in shootings and homicides in the 18 months since its launch in Baltimore’s notoriously violent Western District.
Increased community trust and lower detective caseloads have enhanced the police’s ability to resolve more homicide cases, Worley commented. Officers focus on a relatively small pool of known shooters instead of resorting to mass arrests. Mayor Brandon Scott, who secured reelection last year, unveiled a five-year plan in 2021 aimed at reducing gun violence in the city by 15% annually. This included establishing a new office to oversee anti-violence initiatives, such as the Safe Streets program, which employs conflict mediators with credibility and expertise in navigating community issues.
“This requires an immense effort,” Scott shared in a recent discussion. Maryland Governor Wes Moore also acknowledged the city’s progress during a recent news conference, praising what he defined as an inclusive approach to the issue.
Nevertheless, community members express concern over the ongoing loss of life. Kierra Morrison, who lost her 17-year-old son to gun violence on Christmas Eve, participated in a recent candlelight vigil to commemorate last year’s tragic victims. She remarked that despite the city’s recent achievements, they offered little comfort amidst her grief.
“My words escape me,” she stated, reflecting on her son’s aspirations, such as enrolling in a job training program, which had once filled her with hope for his future. If only he had been given more time.
