By: Ashmar Mandou

This past summer the U.S. surgeon general declared gun violence a public health crisis, due to the growing number of injuries and deaths involving firearms across the country. Particularly in Chicago where according to the Chicago Police Department, there have been almost 1,200 total reported shootings in the city as of July.

Former gang member Cobe Williams, an award-winning peacekeeper and community
activist, knows firsthand the inner trappings of violence growing up on the South side neighborhood of Englewood. Williams, whose father, a gang member, was murdered before Williams turned eleven, had a rough upbringing. “I grew up in that cycle of violence. I didn’t anything different,” said Williams. “Many young men grow up today with a family member that is in a gang, either it’s a father, an uncle, a brother. It’s part of their environment. That’s how it was for me.” Williams was a former Black Disciples member who rose through the ranks at one time commanding over one hundred men throughout the city while still in high school. Williams’ life, engulfed with conflicts with police, violence, and arrests, has transferred his life experience into a memoir entitled, “Interrupting Violence: One Man’s Journey to Heal the Streets and Redeem Himself.”
“Interrupting Violence: One Man’s Journey to Heal the Streets and Redeem Himself,” is part memoir part blueprint for communities across the country to discover a new way to address community violence. “We need to focus on the root of the problem, we need to focus on creating a steady home life, providing opportunities for youth to choose another path instead of violence,” said Williams. “I hope this book can take readers on a journey to what plagues our inner cities, and how youth in underserved communities are misrepresented.” Williams is hopeful his memoir will serve as an aid to tackle violence through innovative, person-centered interventions focusing on two critical interventions; to prevent escalation within the first 24 hours following a drive-by-shooting and initiatives to prevent retaliation in the weeks after a prominent gang leader’s murder.

Aside from author, Williams is founder and executive director of Interrupt the Violence (ITV), a program that for over a decade has developed violence prevention, created conflict resolution, and public safety plans throughout the country. Interrupt the Violence has partnered with community-based organizations, NGOs, city and state governments, and activists. Their mission is designed to leverage community strengths, address cultural workings that perpetuate violence, and provide hope. If you would like to learn more about ITV, visit www.interrupttheviolence.com or if you would like a copy, visit www.interruptingviolence.com.