BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A presentation from Cure Violence Global to the Alachua County Gun Violence Prevention Alliance on December 11 led to a heated discussion about whether the organization reached out to the City of Gainesville before obtaining a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for violence prevention efforts in Gainesville; after the meeting, Cure Violence Global said they intend to “graciously bow out of this partnership.”
Cure Violence Global treats gun violence as a contagious disease
At the meeting, Alachua County Executive Liaison for Public Safety and Community Relations Carl Smart introduced representatives of Cure Violence Global (CVG), which he said is internationally recognized for their approach to dealing with prevention and intervention with gun violence issues. He said, “They treat it as a contagious disease,… as a health crisis, and both our City Commission, as well as our County Commission, has declared gun violence as a health crisis, and so we’re treating it that way.” He said he was excited about news of an award that CVG has received from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).