Keeping Our Commitment

Shortly after her first year in office, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell released a Generational Gun Violence Reduction Plan in August 2019. The goal of the program is to meaningfully reduce the number of gun-related murders in the city over the next 50 years.

In April 2021, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the launch by executive order of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. This new office will coordinate, fund and evaluate public health gun violence reduction interventions and their outcomes.

The City continues to work to attract government and philanthropic dollars and how to engage the private sector to make investments in public health interventions that will ultimately reduce costs associated with bad outcomes.

 

 

"Establishing this office is part of our commitment to a holistic long-term strategy to prevent gun violence over time. This work started with recommendations from our Forward Together Transition Team, and in one of my first acts as Mayor, I established the Gun Violence Reduction Taskforce. This in turn led to the August 2019 Generational Gun Violence Reduction Plan. This new office will coordinate, fund and evaluate public health gun violence reduction interventions and their outcomes,"

—Mayor LaToya Cantrell

A Generational Gun Violence Reduction Plan

Gun violence has ravaged our communities and families for generations, and we can no longer just respond to its aftermath; we must strategically work to prevent it.

Read the plan

Stats

  1. Since 1986, New Orleans has ranked among the top 5 deadliest cities in the United States.
  2. The estimated total excess healthcare cost (over normal healthcare spending) due to gun violence in New Orleans is $25.7M annually. 
  3. The effectiveness of interventions for gun violence has not been adequately studied, this office will take a data back approach to help drive results.

Gun Violence Prevention Efforts in the News

Programs & Initiatives

Barber’s and Beauticians Collective Fellowship Program

Barbers and beauticians are community leaders and interface with hundreds of people a week. They often know about conflict before anyone else. This seven-week fellowship trains barbers in conflict resolution and mediation skills so that they can de-escalate conflicts that might arise.

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CEO Works

The City of New Orleans contracted with the nonprofit, CEO Works, to provide transitional employment for citizens coming home from incarceration. Participants work 4 days a week doing blight reduction and grass-cutting and attend professional development one day a week, which includes soft skills training and resume development.

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Community Crisis Intervention Team

A community-based intervention that interrupts conflicts before they turn violent by using culturally competent messengers as violence interrupters and mediators. With nine current staff members, the organization responds to shootings victims and their families at both UMC and New Orleans East Hospital and attempts to diffuse conflict and prevent retaliation.

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Jumpstart Program

On April 6, the City launched an eight-week program to connect young people who are disconnected from work and school with soft-skills training and employment opportunities through the City's Office of Workforce Development. After the two-month program, participants will be connected with a nine-month job experience and extended case management.

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Gun Violence Policy Lab

A partnership with Tulane's Schools of Public Health and Professional Advancement to rigorously study gun violence in the city and to evaluate the effectiveness of our interventions.