Chicago usually means a spike in gun violence while overall crime has been on a downward trend, the city is nevertheless on pace to pass last year, shooting and homicide numbers with June seeing 36 murders and 132 shootings both up from 2025. police are first responders but some groups think there's a better way to handle gun violence.

Community prevention, community violence intervention as store cvi professionals walk high-risk neighborhoods hoping to interrupt the cycle of violence through direct outreach and trust building.

We spent the day with one team to see what it's all about.

I'm going with a on a sunny day in Garfield Park Ray-Ray from the Institute for Nonviolence.

Chicago checks in with his team of Peace Keepers.

>> All right.

At the >> This group of community violence intervention, escort CB.

strolls the neighborhood, making contact with people chatting about what's happening in building trust along the But look forward so trying to get This is exactly what Von Bryant, executive director of Metropolitan Peace Initiative wants to >> Community violence intervention is basically sort 9 punitive approach to gun violence.

We're more preventative an intervention.

You know, police more accountability and trying to bring Justice.

Ryan knows community relations with the police are fraught and have been for a long time.

>> A number of factors have led to mistrust of police.

>> There are policies and procedures that, you know, cities have that law enforcement like police are enforcing that can be races.

>> He sees a way for police to work with CB I's to make communities safer.

It is really based on the idea that people that live in the local community are closest to the problem more of the solution.

Samuel Castro at the Institute for Nonviolence.

Chicago agrees.

>> Lived experiences, something that you can learn out of a book.

This is something that.

We went through.

>> Castro and Bryant aren't alone in this mission of community activism, Metropolitan Peace Initiative gathered 15 area organizations to form the communities partnering for Peace.

Castro feels relationship with the community is crucial but knows they also need to connect with Chicago police.

What we have created with law enforcement is a profession on the standing.

>> We have to build the trucks.

So from CPD, not to think that Cvi organization staff.

I have the same drive of the violence, the same people that used to sell Bryant agrees and says CBI Xmas strike a delicate balance.

>> We have sort of a one-way communication lines so we get information from the police, but we don't give information to the police.

Doesn't that would ruin the credibility in a trust that we have?

>> It's work that's been ongoing for years yet has further to go.

>> We want to get to a place where people just commit fewer crimes because they see opportunity to thrive.

There's no magical powder in the air.

There's a real humans doing the work that have been impacted by violence, trauma all to line.

And we're running back to the fire to help people.

>> So for now, Bryant and Castro stay the course >> in 10 years.

I'm hoping we can put ourselves out of business, make the community safer.

>> We did contact the Chicago Police Department to talk with us for this story.

But they declined.

You can see more stories on community violence, prevention and police and policing on our website.

That's at W T Tw Dot com slash policing.