Northeast Park Hill, a Denver neighborhood, has a long history of violence having twice the youth arrest rate as all the other Denver neighborhoods combined. In 2013, residents began organizing in a movement to rebuild community safety. It was the foundation for researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, local leaders who grew up in the neighborhood, and community members in 2016 for a science-based prevention process “designed to help communities use data, evidence and collective action to reduce youth violence.” The campaign highlights how decades of redlining, poverty, and limited quality schools and jobs contribute to conditions where violence grows. While they have made great progress, recent federal funding cuts threaten the continuation of the work.
