Grand Valley State University faculty members have been working with members of the local community to develop a strategy to help prevent violence in Grand Rapids, through the S.A.F.E. Alliance.

S.A.F.E. is an acronym for Safe Alliances for Everyone. It is an anti-violence strategy that provides guidance toward best practices for addressing issues of violence within the Grand Rapids community.

Grand Rapids City Commissioner Senita Lenear explained that the strategy is aimed toward a select few.

“This is our response to violence in our community,” Lenear said. “To start with, we narrowed our scope, to 15 to 24-year-olds because we recognized that there were limited programs in the community to address that community; they were unserved in so many ways. This is our way of addressing the population of youth who may otherwise get involved in criminal activity if they don’t have comprehensive resources.”

Members of the alliance task force recently presented a report to city leaders after meeting for nine months to discuss different community crime-prevention initiatives. The report contained over 50 different recommendations and suggests ways in which the city and police can collaborate with the churches, schools and other public organizations in an effort to reduce crime.

Dr. John Walsh, GVSU criminal justice assistant professor, was one of two GVSU professors involved in the task force. He explained that the task force is made up of different individuals in the community who have extensive knowledge regarding different facets of violence.

Walsh said that, in order to accomplish the goal of the S.A.F.E. Alliance, the community-based issues would have to be addressed by numerous people at multiple levels. The S.A.F.E. Alliance brings those people together and uses their vast talents toward creating safer neighborhoods in Grand Rapids.

“My previous experience working with community members, criminal justice professionals, service providers and local leaders in Grand Rapids led to an invitation to the alliance,” Walsh said. “Further, expanding my knowledge of Grand Rapids communities and serving those neighborhood communities is an important facet of my role as a professor at GVSU.”

Walsh described the work that went into developing the recommendation as extensive.

“The report was compiled through the work and expertise of the entire alliance,” he said. “Resources included local level police data on violence and calls for service, previous community-based research developed through the Johnson Center at GVSU, national level violence reduction program data, local level data on mental health, employment and schools, as well as conversations with neighborhood residents and local police.”

Working at GVSU as a professor has helped Walsh to become an active member of the alliance task force he said, explaining that his role has given him the opportunity to work with criminal justice professionals and community organizations that focus on justice issues.

“These relationships provided the entrée to my involvement with S.A.F.E.” Walsh said.

The question of whether the S.A.F.E. Alliance has made a difference is yet to be seen.

Walsh explained that the initial role of the S.A.F.E. Alliance was to assess current violence issues within Grand Rapids at the neighborhood level and provide recommendations to the City Commission.

“In that regard, we have achieved our goals,” he said. “The heavy lifting of acting on those recommendations will continue forward with help and the partnership from community members, community organizations, service providers, local leaders and citizens.”

Lenear agreed that recommendations could only advance with the community’s help.

“The next phase is going to be identifying a person who will be overseeing the work to make sure there are the partners in the community who will work together to make sure that these recommendations are put into effect.”

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