LANSING — Last year, about a quarter of Lansing’s eight fatal shootings were the result of cyclical or retaliatory gun violence, according to a recent report.
Those types of shootings, which also made up about 14% of the city’s 57 nonfatal shootings, are often driven by interpersonal or group conflicts. They’re the kind of shootings that Advance Peace has been focused on for more than two years. The community violence intervention organization is rooted in neighborhoods and identifies people most at risk of picking up a gun to settle a dispute. They build relationships and trust with them and, on a daily basis, work to show them a gun isn’t the solution.
Gun violence in Lansing and the U.S. began to spike in 2020, but has been on a steady downward trend. Advance Peace has been working in Lansing since 2022. It began mentoring 15 people in the southwest part of the city and now has expanded to 55 across Lansing. The group has also started working in Lansing’s public schools and in the City of East Lansing.
Three years in, Advance Peace has found the problem is more widespread that previously believed and has provided data analysis that reveals more about the city’s gun violence.
“This strategy is working,” said Paul Elam, chief strategy officer at the Okemos-based Michigan Public Health Institute which runs Advance Peace in Lansing. “We’re engaging folks that law enforcement can’t engage.”
Local law enforcement leaders agree. Both Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus and Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth told the State Journal that they support the work by Advance Peace and similar groups.
Mayor Andy Schor has included funding for Advance Peace in each of his budgets since it first approached the city. He said it remains a worthy investment and one he’ll continue to include in his budget as long as it’s working and he’s in office.
“I do think it’s been very effective,” Schor said, while acknowledging the broader range of gun violence beyond Advance Peace’s focus. “You’re never going to have zero (shootings) and that’s terrible.”
Advance Peace report details where and when shots are fired
In the last three years, Advance Peace has done more than mentor dozens of young people. It’s also worked to provide Lansing residents with a greater understanding of gun violence in their city.
The organization’s recent research, authored with a Michigan State University expert, found that at least 80% of Lansing’s shooting victims were Black men, with those 18-24 as the most common age range. And the southwest part of the city, where Advance Peace was focused in its first two years, saw the second largest drop in gun violence since 2022.
Elam also told the State Journal that Advance Peace believes there are at least 20 organized gangs in Lansing and more than 100 people actively involved in gun violence, with both figures higher than previous law enforcement estimates.
Backus didn’t dispute Elam’s estimates, but said LPD uses federal guidelines for designating someone as a gang member. The federal guidelines set specific criteria.
“We do have groups and these groups are becoming more and more prone to using a firearm to solve their problems,” Backus said.
Elam said the reports that Advance Peace releases are meant to provide an baseline understanding of Lansing’s gun violence and show how it’s working to prevent cyclical and retaliatory shootings.
Elam, who has a background in public health, drew a comparison to the coronavirus response: Confirming one infection without contract tracing to see how many others have been affected doesn’t reveal the full scope of crisis.
“I’m committed, as you see in the report, to doing what works,” he said.
Complimentary to law enforcement but don’t work side by side
Advance Peace doesn’t work hand-in-hand with law enforcement, but they have a shared goal of reducing gun violence in the city.
Both Backus and Wriggelsworth said Advance Peace and other community violence intervention groups are helping.
Wriggelsworth pointed to their work with young people in the area, saying that early intervention and engagement efforts today can reduce the likelihood of future gun violence.
“It’s all interconnected, for sure,” he said.
Backus said that while his officers and Advance Peace’s team complement each other, they don’t work side by side. In fact, Backus said his officers rarely see Advance Peace at work.
The notable exception, he said, is the aftermath of a homicide or serious shootings. Advance Peace will be there to keep any crowd calm and to talk to people they know. They have a different relationship with the community and are focused on preventing retaliation to what just happened.
“I like the idea that when Advance Peace is out and doing their job, they’re working forward,” Backus said. “How can they prevent more crime from happening?”
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at mjmencarini@lsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing area is expanding efforts to combat retaliatory gun violence