Detroit ended 2024 with 203 homicides – the lowest number since 1965, a stunning statistic for a city long associated with violent crime. This drastic decline is not just a coincidence. According to Josiah Bates of The Trace, much of the credit goes to ShotStoppers, a community-led violence intervention initiative launched in 2023 by Mayor Mike Duggan’s office. Unlike traditional law enforcement crackdowns, ShotStoppers took a more grassroots approach, giving six local organizations the autonomy and funding to tackle violence in their own way.
An Uncertain Future
But now, despite its success, the program faces an uncertain future. The $10 million funding for ShotStoppers came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Biden-era economic stimulus package. With those funds set to expire and no renewal in sight under President Donald Trump’s administration, Detroit may soon lose one of its most effective anti-violence initiatives.
How ShotStoppers Changed the City
ShotStoppers wasn’t just another government program. It was a community-driven effort that allowed local leaders to craft their own strategies for reducing violence in the hardest-hit neighborhoods. Each participating group received an initial $175,000 grant to implement their approach, with the opportunity to earn additional funding based on their results.
And the results were impressive. By October 2024, homicides in ShotStoppers zones had dropped by 45 percent, compared to an 18 percent drop in areas without the program. That’s more than double the success rate of the rest of the city, showing that investing in community intervention can yield better results than a purely punitive approach.
Franklin Hayes, Deputy Chief of Detroit’s Crime Strategies Bureau, acknowledged the shift in law enforcement thinking. “We realized that we cannot arrest our way out of crime,” he told The Trace. Instead, the program focused on prevention rather than punishment, targeting the root causes of violence.
A Different Kind of Crime Fighting
The philosophy behind ShotStoppers is a departure from traditional policing methods. As John Correia of Active Self Protection Extra pointed out in his YouTube video, the program is not about gun control – it’s about addressing the factors that lead to violence before it happens.
“I love community violence intervention,” Correia said. “It recognizes that the problem isn’t just guns. It’s about socioeconomic conditions, interpersonal conflicts, and a lack of opportunity.” Instead of over-policing certain neighborhoods or using controversial technologies like ShotSpotter, the program focused on de-escalation, job training, and community engagement.
Pamela McClain, a former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office commander, is a strong advocate for this approach. “I used to lock up 100 African American men a day,” she said. “Now we’re on the other side – helping them with workforce development, training, and squashing beefs before they even get out. That’s unprecedented.”
The Federal Funding Problem
Despite its success, ShotStoppers is now in jeopardy. With the expiration of ARPA funding, Detroit’s leaders are scrambling to find new financial support. In 2024, Michigan lawmakers passed two bills to allocate $200 million for public safety and violence prevention, which would have secured ShotStoppers’ future. However, those bills stalled in the state House and now face an uphill battle in a Republican-controlled chamber.
Bates noted that other states, such as Wisconsin, have already committed to keeping similar programs running with state funds. But Michigan remains in limbo, leaving the fate of ShotStoppers uncertain.
Return to a Traditional Approach
Trump’s administration is unlikely to prioritize funding for such initiatives. On Inauguration Day, Trump signed an executive order directing state and district attorneys to focus on violent crime prosecution rather than community-based intervention. This suggests a return to a more traditional, enforcement-heavy approach, rather than the preventive strategy that has worked so well in Detroit.
The Broader Impact on Crime Reduction
Detroit’s declining crime rate is not an isolated case. The Trace’s analysis of national gun violence trends found that gun-related homicides plummeted in major cities between 2023 and 2024. Many attribute this to the rise of community intervention programs like ShotStoppers.
Bates reported that in some of Detroit’s most violent neighborhoods – Farwell, Franklin Park, Midwest, and Brightmoor – homicides fell by an average of 54 percent. This wasn’t just a random drop – it was a direct result of a strategy that combined community engagement with law enforcement support.
Correia emphasized that these initiatives should be a model for other cities. “This isn’t about politics,” he said. “It’s about saving lives. And it’s something Second Amendment supporters should get behind because it focuses on root causes, not just banning guns.”
What Happens if the Program Ends?
Activists and community leaders are warning of dire consequences if ShotStoppers disappears. Negus Vu, a leader in The People’s Action, believes that losing the program would reverse years of hard-earned progress. “We worked so hard, we sacrificed so much,” Vu said. “The magnitude of what’s going to happen when the ARPA dollars run out is… diabolical.”
Grassroots workers stress that the decline in violence wasn’t just because of one program – it was a collective effort by local organizations, police, and city officials. But they argue that without the necessary resources, their ability to continue this work will be severely weakened.
The Key to Success
FORCE Detroit, one of the organizations participating in ShotStoppers, specifically focuses on de-escalating conflicts among young Black men who are at the highest risk of either committing or becoming victims of violence. Its leader, Dejuan “Zoe” Kennedy, believes that the key to success is intervening before violence starts.
“We try to minimize the possibility of conflict amongst people who live around each other,” Kennedy said. “Without this program, we’re going to see those conflicts explode again.”
Is There a Path Forward?
There is still a chance that ShotStoppers could be saved. If Michigan lawmakers reintroduce and pass the stalled funding bills, the program could continue without relying on federal money. Local officials and community advocates are now urging citizens to contact their representatives and push for state-level funding.
Meanwhile, some experts are calling for a broader shift in how crime prevention is funded across the country. Correia suggested that programs like ShotStoppers should be prioritized over more aggressive policing tactics, arguing that long-term investment in communities is a more sustainable way to reduce violence.
A Lesson for Other Cities
If Detroit loses ShotStoppers, it would be a devastating blow – not just for the city but for other urban areas looking to replicate its success. The program has proven that local intervention, when done right, can dramatically cut violent crime.
The question now is whether political leaders will recognize its value before it’s too late. If they don’t, Detroit could once again find itself trapped in the cycle of violence it worked so hard to break.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa writes about homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Whether it’s canning vegetables or setting up a rainwater harvesting system, Lisa’s goal is to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.