Hartford has hired a new city official to coordinate anti-violence efforts. Chavon Campbell will direct the city's new Office of Violence Prevention.
In recent years, Hartford has experienced higher-than-usual numbers of homicides, but the number of non-fatal shootings declined.
Campbell spoke Monday about violence in the city.
"I know COVID has affected a lot of people," he said. "I talked to the police department, and they said a lot of interpersonal issues are creating these acts of violence, not just gangs or whatever approach that you might think it is."
As of right now, Campbell is the only employee in the newly-formed office.
He’ll work with the public schools, police and nonprofit groups that address violence. One of those nonprofits is the Compass Youth Collaborative, which serves at-risk young people. CEO Jacqueline Santiago said one person alone can't get the job done and the new office will help many organizations work together.
"Violence has many root causes, a lot of them in poverty and racism," Santiago said. "So there has to be a systemic approach to it. In the past I think we have all done really great work on our own in our silos."
Campbell previously did data management at Hartford Communities That Care, a non-profit that focuses on improving the lives of young people. He also worked at Trinity Health of New England, where he focused on reducing deaths among young children.
The new office comes as an armed neighborhood watch group has begun walking around part of Hartford's North End. Hartford's Mayor Arunan Arulampalam is discouraging civilians from going on self-appointed patrols.
"Community policing has to happen with police involved," Arulampalam said. "Those are rogue actors that don't involve the police. I continue to discourage anyone from going out with a weapon and looking for trouble in our community. That's not the way to keep our community safe."
The Hartford Courant reports that a group called the Self Defense Brigade is teaming up with a local church to patrol areas along Garden Street and Nelson Street.
The patrols began after two men were shot and killed at a party in the neighborhood in February.
