Brady Celebrates Inclusion of $5 Billion for Community Violence Prevention Programs in American Jobs Plan

President Biden's "American Jobs Plan" includes $5 billion in funding for community-based violence prevention programs. This historic investment is the result of years of leadership by Black- and Brown-led gun violence prevention groups

Washington, D.C., March 31, 2021 - Today Brady celebrates President Biden’s inclusion of $5 billion over eight years for evidence-based community violence prevention programs in the American Jobs Plan. This funding, long sought by community gun violence prevention organizations working on the front lines of this crisis, will help to prevent violence and mediate conflict, helping and healing communities most affected by gun violence. These programs not only help to resolve conflict but also assist members of impacted communities to seek new opportunities, including new employment. This investment will target both the increase in gun violence and homicides and unemployment that every community across the country has seen over the past year.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“This funding is a critical step towards addressing gun violence in a comprehensive manner and will help communities most affected by gun violence. Community violence prevention programs work with and within communities to mediate conflict and stop violence from ever occurring. Such programs target the multiple causes of violence and do so without policing communities, taking a holistic, public health approach to this issue. Following the pronounced increase in gun violence last year, this funding will help communities that need it most.

Brady is grateful to the many organizations, such as the Community Justice Action Fund (CJAF), the #FundPeace coalition and the Invest In Us coalition of which Brady is a part, and activists, particularly Black and Brown activists, who have called for this common-sense approach to violence prevention and funding for many years. Brady thanks President Biden for listening to those calls and for including this funding in the American Jobs Plan. As we have said, President Biden is the strongest gun violence prevention champion to occupy the Oval Office, and this funding is the latest and most tangible demonstration of his commitment to solving this issue in an inclusive and comprehensive manner.”

Brady Senior Counsel and Director of Racial Justice Kelly Sampson shared:

“Funding community violence prevention programs is so essential in addressing our nation’s gun violence epidemic in a holistic and comprehensive manner. By investing in communities and in evidence-based programs, we can prevent violence without policing or penalizing those most impacted by gun violence. This is an evidence-based public health approach. After activists and organizations on the frontlines of this crisis, particularly Black and Brown activists, have called for this approach and funding for decades, it is gratifying to have a partner in the White House who will listen to those voices, to public health experts, and to survivors. Today is a victory for those leaders and we are grateful to President Biden for ensuring that this funding was included in his historic American Jobs Plan.”

Brady Vice President of Policy Christian Heyne shared:

“This funding, arguably the largest funding for gun violence prevention in our nation’s history, is a clear sign that the Biden Administration will continue to address gun violence in all of its forms in an inclusive and comprehensive manner. During the pandemic, communities across the nation have been experiencing historic spikes in homicides, particularly in Black and Brown communities disproportionately impacted by violence. These community violence prevention programs the Biden Administration is funding are vital, evidence-based initiatives that break cycles of violence and conflict by addressing their root causes. As a survivor of gun violence, I am proud to see that President Biden continues to lead on this issue and am grateful to the many activists, particularly Black and Brown activists and leaders, who have called for this approach to violence prevention for years.”

The Team ENOUGH Executive Council shared:

“Our generation and young people have consistently asked for policies and procedures that invest in our communities and directly invest in people. This funding will do just that, catalyzing the work of programs on the ground that resolve conflict and stop violence. Particularly as Black and Brown communities have been most affected by gun violence and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, this funding is extremely needed and a welcome first step in the comprehensive approach to prevent gun violence.”