So, it's not about talk, is not about fame if it's about doing the work."Įquipped with verbal and physical de-escalation training, the community mediators are now placed in major section eight housing units including Gilpin, Mosby and Creighton Courts.
"We stood on our feet for 6 hours straight down at the hospital. The program started in October of last year and was fully staffed by May.Īfter a lengthy hiring and training process, Andrews says the team is now ready to work with the community as they did at Huguenots deadly graduation mass shooting in June. I'm told they do not give out names or identifying information about the tips they receive while on the job. Instead, the three-person team receives information about critical incidents when they happen in the city and then they receive clearance to respond. We're not that we're not agents of the police." Gwendolyn Andrews says she wants to set the record straight about their plan to tackle crime. With a new name the hybrid model in place, supervisors Dr.
This comes over a year after the idea was first introduced back in February of last year under the name violence interrupters. For the first time tonight, we're hearing from Richmond's newest violence prevention task force, the community mediators.