Credible Messenger Podcast with Anthony Smith of Cities United

In this episode of the Credible Messenger, host Jonathan McMillan converses with Anthony Smith, Director of Cities United, an organization committed to reducing violence in communities across the nation. Anthony shares success stories, highlights of Cities United's comprehensive public safety plan, and dives into the complexities and intricacies of community violence intervention (CVI). He also details strategies on how to build better self-care practices and discusses the role of mental health in violence prevention. The conversation underlines Anthony's vision of how communities could be safer in ten years and his dedication to making communities safe, healthy, and hopeful.

0:00 TCM S1E4 Anthony Smith

13:05 What Is A Comprehensive Public Saftey Plan?

21:30 Cities United's Strategy

25:26 WHAT IS CVI?

27:46 HVIP

31:55 Building Ecosystems

33:18 What's Working In other Cities

58:39 What's the Word?

Resources mentioned in the episode:
Cities United: www.citiesunited.org
The National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC): www.nnscommunities.org
The Urban Peace Institute: www.urbanpeaceinstitute.org
The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI): www.thehavi.org
The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR): www.nicjr.org
The Peacemaker Fellowship/ Advance Peace www.advancepeace.org.
Peace For DC: https://www.peacefordc.org/
Inner City Innovators: https://innercityinnovators.org/

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:41 The Vision Behind The Credible Messenger 01:20 Guest Introduction: Norman Kerr

02:12 Norman Kerr's Journey into Community Violence Intervention

05:41 The Evolution of Ceasefire

07:41 The Importance of a Comprehensive Approach 08:25 The Role of Humility in Violence Intervention 14:41 The Journey from Ceasefire to Trajectory Changing Solutions

26:40 The Role of Women in Violence Intervention 29:27 The Politics of Violence Reduction

32:08 Addressing Community Issues and the Importance of Transparency

33:00 Experiences in Outreach and Violence Intervention

34:49 The Challenges and Rewards of CVI Work 35:35 Promoting Self-Care and Balance in CVI Workers

37:59 Personal Strategies for Maintaining Balance 40:08 The Future of CVI Work and Violence Intervention

41:34 The Need for Community Involvement in Addressing Violence

44:06 The Challenges of Funding and Implementing CVI Programs

52:46 Personal Interests and Passions

58:26 Final Thoughts and Messages