Florence Middleton reports for Oaklandside on the city’s Department of Violence Prevention, which responds to “incidents like shootings and domestic violence after they happen, and it also works towards ‘interrupting’ violence or addressing the root causes to stop it before it occurs, [as well as providing] support [for] victims [and] others impacted by violence…” Joseph Truehill, a violence interrupter who works for a non-profit group that partners with the Department of Violence Prevention, told the newspaper that the group provides “therapy for the victim and his family, financial support, and relocation services if they no longer felt safe in their home.” Oaklandside reported on a shooting that Truehill responded involving a 15-year-old lost to gun violence:
“Truehill met her family at the hospital where [the teen] was pronounced deceased on arrival, and he stayed with them until 5 a.m.. That morning, he connected [the teen’s mother] to another violence interrupter who could support her long-term and to … mental health resources… he [also] ordered [the teen’s] family a big meal from DoorDash… Throughout those first two weeks, [the Department of Violence Prevention team] checked on [the mother] every day… [and] helped [her] with funeral-related costs, took her to get a manicure and pedicure before the funeral… supported her with giveaways like backpack drives for her two sons, inviting her to Christmas events and connecting her to a support group for mothers who have lost a child.”
The teen’s mother told the newspaper that these efforts changed the trajectory of her life: “If I didn’t [the support from these organizations]…I might be in retaliation mode because I didn’t get help that I needed back then…I would have been so buried in anger… Without them, I don’t think I would have made it through the whole ordeal. I’m almost certain I would not have made it through mentally.”