Violence Has Fallen, but So Has Funding for Prevention

Trump

Administration

live

War in the Middle East

April 25, 2026, 5:43 a.m. ET

Gas Prices

Powell Investigation Dropped

Navy Secretary Fired

Approval Rating

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

Headway

Violence Has Fallen, but So Has Funding for Prevention

Homicides and assaults have declined in many cities, but programs credited with helping keep the peace are losing federal support.

Credit...

Alyssa Pointer for The New York Times

Headway

Violence Has Fallen, but So Has Funding for Prevention

Homicides and assaults have declined in many cities, but programs credited with helping keep the peace are losing federal support.

Credit...

Alyssa Pointer for The New York Times

Supported by

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Listen

· 9:25 min

Share full article

By

Shayla Colon

April 25, 2026

Derrick Sanders feared that if he did not return to the corners of Atlanta’s English Avenue neighborhood, more bodies would drop.

Mr. Sanders had been a street outreach worker for the Offender Alumni Association. But he was laid off in late 2025 after the organization lost $1.5 million in federal funds and was disbanded. Then, murders surged.

There were four killings the next month, Mr. Sanders said — all deaths he believes were preventable. One of the victims had been a participant in the Offender Alumni Association, the program where Mr. Sanders worked to de-escalate conflicts and mentor people at risk of committing violence. He had engaged regularly with two of the other victims in the community.

“When we were there to mediate situations, they would listen — we come to an agreement,” he said. “But when we left, that agreement left with us.”

After violent crime worsened alongside Covid-19, the federal government passed legislation including hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for community violence interventions. Community leaders and experts on crime nationwide gave some credit to these programs for helping bring homicides to historic lows in the years since. But the Trump administration withheld much of this funding upon taking office in 2025, leaving many programs scrambling to find alternative sources of support and community leaders uncertain if they can sustain the progress.

Image

Derrick Sanders interacts with teenagers while giving away snacks in the Ashview Heights neighborhood in Atlanta.

Credit...

Alyssa Pointer for The New York Times

What is the opposite of violence?

It is easier to notice violence than to notice its absence. Public perceptions of violent crime rates are often far higher than the statistical reality. For the series this story is a part of, we’ve spoken with dozens of individuals about what counteracts violence. Now we’d like to hear from you. When violence recedes, what fills the gap? How would you measure the reverse of violence?

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and

log into

your Times account, or

subscribe

for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?

Log in

.

Want all of The Times?

Subscribe

.

Related Content

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT