Many American cities are struggling to combat gun violence, and in neighborhoods with high numbers of shootings community violence intervention (CVI) can mean the difference between life and death.
Dante Barksdale, known to his community as Tater, helped mediate conflicts as a violence interrupter. Barksdale, a convicted drug dealer, helped found Safe Streets, Baltimore’s flagship violence prevention program aimed at keeping teenagers off drugs and out of jail.
Barksdale had credibility in the streets. His uncle, Nathan “Bodie” Barksdale, was the real-life inspiration for the drug kingpin in the hit HBO series “The Wire.”
“[Violence interruption] brought out the very best in him,” Barksdale’s sister, Pili Houston, told “Nightline.” “It gave him a platform to be who he was. He opened up computer labs. He wanted the children to be able to design clothing, make podcasts. He gave cookouts so he could stand out there and yell on his blowhorn on how important education is. He was very inventive with his outreach.”