Samadhi Center Anti Gun Violence Program

The Samadhi Anti-Gun Violence Prevention Program is an evidence-based, program based on the Cure Violence model that was initiated in Chicago. This model treats gun violence like a disease by identifying its causes and interrupting its transmission. This project meets the criteria of the Appropriation Bill : “Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies” and in particular the: “Department of Justice; Office of Justice Programs; State and Local law enforcement Assistance, Byrne Discretionary Account. 

The Samadhi Anti-Gun Violence Prevention Program works together with local and state law enforcement to educate, reduce and eradicate retaliatory gun violence. The Cure Violence model teaches that individuals can stop the cycle of violence by curbing their own violent practices and using their influence to change how their community views aggression. The model seeks to heal the damage caused by violence, change negative behaviors and empower them to help others leave aggressive patterns behind. The Cure Violence model has a track record of success—in the United States, cities that have implemented the model have seen up to a 73 percent reduction in shootings and killings. The District, The attorney of Ulster County has identified a very large increase in gun violence in Ulster county New York in the past 2 years (The City of Kingston N.Y. in particular) Working together with the Local Community, The Ulster County Sherriff’s Department, The Ulster County Executive’s office, The Kingston Mayor’s office, The Kingston Police Department and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office we have developed a plan and a program that will serve all of Ulster County, New York. The Samadhi Anti-Gun Violence Prevention Program will:

A).Detect and interrupt potentially violent conflicts
B) Support trained violence interrupters and outreach workers to prevent shootings by identifying and mediating potentially lethal conflicts in the community and following up to ensure that the conflict does not reignite.
C) Prevent Retaliations – When a shooting happens, trained workers will immediately work in the community and at the hospital to cool down emotions and prevent retaliations – working with the victims, friends and family of the victim, and anyone else who is connected with the event.
D) Mediate Ongoing Conflicts – Workers will identify ongoing conflicts by talking to key people in the community about ongoing disputes, recent arrests, recent prison releases, and other situations and use mediation techniques to resolve them peacefully.
E) Keep Conflicts ‘Cool’ – Workers will follow up with conflicts for as long as needed, sometimes for months, to ensure that the conflict does not become
violent.