Aqeela Sherrills

I hired 16 credible messengers

many of them ex-gang members and formerly incarcerated folks who have deep relationships in the neighborhood.

We trained them in conflict resolution and mediation strategies and deployed them in high-violence areas and asked them to use their relationship capital to intervene and mediate gang disputes that could lead to violence.

Now, you know, law enforcement investigations are crucial but not always successful and often painstakingly slow, whereas the credible messengers can prevent the next shooting in real time.

We launched a safe passage program to ensure our kids went to school safely, because violence often happens before and after school.

We launched the city's first trauma recovery center to provide therapeutic services to victims to help them heal.

We also provided mentoring and outreach and case management.

You see, safety isn't just one intervention.

It's a shared strategy and requires

an ecosystem of programs that residents trust.

When we started our work in Newark in 2014, the city had 103 homicides.

In 2024, we had 37.

Now, family, these are not just numbers, they're actual lives saved.

Newark now has nine consecutive years of decline, and we're no longer on the top 10 most violent city list.

Now, what we achieved in Newark was more than historic lows in violence.

Local law enforcement credits us as the essential strategic partner in reducing violence in the city.

And today, the Newark street team has over 80 staff, is a formal partner with the city, and received millions of dollars in public funding.

Now, family, we're not just the only ones that's improving safety in our cities.

It's just rarely recognized and supported.

Take my good friend, Ms.