While youth-focused empowerment programs are experiencing funding cuts at both the federal and state levels, longtime Houston activist Deric Muhammad secured a $500,000 grant to engage in much-needed violence prevention work.
If his pilot program, Community Violence Intervention Initiative (CVII), is successful, it could be a game-changer for Houston and cities across the country.
Program aims
“Our program aims to reduce crime by 10% in five zip codes,” said Muhammad, about the initiative.
The zip codes that CVII is responsible for are in Acres Homes (77088 and 77091), Greenspoint (77060), Homestead (77016) and Trinity Gardens (77026) – areas the stats say are high-crime areas.
Is It Worth It campaign
A huge part of the initiative is the Is It Worth It? campaign.
“Now, Is It Worth It? is the positive program that we want to program our young people with on the streets,” said Muhammad, who was speaking recently to a crowd at the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center (6719 W. Montgomery Rd., Houston 77091) where he officially announced the program’s launch. “That means if somebody offends you and you have it in your mind to want to take a life, we want you to ask the question, ‘Is it worth it?’”
Muhammad and his team of trained conflict resolution specialists believe that if enough ‘Is it Worth It?’ seeds are planted, a growing number of young people will think through potentially violent impulses before they make a faithful decision that not only destroys their life, but also negatively impacts entire communities.
The overall objective of CVII’s efforts is to “stop the violence in H Town.”
All hands on deck
Muhammad and CVII seek to draft all members of the community on the team to serve as a defense against violence, by getting on the offensive to drive home the Is It Worth It? message by any means necessary.
One form of action involves residents planting the Is It Worth It? yard signs in yards throughout the five zip codes and beyond.
“Just by placing the sign in your yard, you will be making a strong statement, a bold statement in your neighborhood. This is one of those projects that is not going to work unless we work it,” said Muhammad.
Another action is getting initiative supporters to wear the Is It Worth It? t-shirts. Both the yard signs and the t-shirts have a CVII QR code that takes people to the website for more resources and information, and provides people with the critical CVII phone number (help line), that Muhammad described as the “Hodd 911” (713-807-9121).
Hood 911
The nuts and bolts of CVII’s efforts are the team of well-trained conflict resolution specialists the organization sends out when someone calls the hotline after recognizing someone they know is on the verge of making a life-altering decision.
“These are brothers who are trained in settling beefs before the beef turns into bloodshed,” said Muhammad.
If the potential violent beef is between two gangs, CVII will deploy these specialists to both sides. When cooler heads prevail, CVII will facilitate a meeting between the two sides at one of its Conflict Resolution Centers.
The first center announced will be located in the Acres Homes Chamber of Commerce (6112 Wheatley St., Houston 77091).
“If we could get the leaders of opposite sides of these gangs to calm down, come together and we talk some sense into them, then we have prevented a funeral,” added Muhammad.
The focus, however, is not only on having conversations with young people about what they shouldn’t do but also on engaging with them about actions they should take, like investing in their talents and passions.
“Standing on the corner is a master architect, but nobody has given him a platform to be able to build his skill to become the great man that he was born to be. We want to do that,” Muhammad said.
Urgency
Muhammad’s team of conflict resolution specialists, including Reginald OG-1 Gordon, hammered home the sense of urgency needed to make the CVII initiative successful by making targeted Houston neighborhoods safer.
“Community, we’re going to have to take it up a notch,” said Gordon, who has been doing violence prevention work for 42 years. “If we’re going to save our children, we can’t show up to meetings and go home and do nothing or say nothing, or don’t support the people that tell you we’re on the ground doing the work.”
For more information, call 713-807-9121.
