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The Oakland Unified School District disbanded its police force five years ago. Since then, school leaders have been reshaping how they create safe environments for students and staff. One of these programs, paid for by the city, places violence interrupters on high school campuses where they can forge trust with students and help to deescalate and mediate tense situations that could turn into fights.
Carla Ashford with the Oakland nonprofit Youth Alive works as a violence interrupter at Skyline High School. Her time on the campus, and the work of other violence interrupters, has coincided with a drop in fights and suspensions…