KD Sunday Spotlight: South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace interrupting the cycle of youth violence

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – In this week’s KD Sunday Spotlight, we’re highlighting a community organization made up of people who work every day to try to prevent young people from becoming shooting victims or shooting suspects.

I have been covering the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace’s efforts for more than two years and now the coalition is implementing new programs to de-escalate conflict among at-risk youth.

“Our kids are being slaughtered in the streets by each other,” said Rev. Eileen Smith, the executive director of South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace.

Even when it seems like there is no end in sight to senseless violence in the city of Pittsburgh, Smith stays determined.

“We don’t quit even though we get discouraged when we see the numbers going up, that is just life, and we’re trying to make life better, so we don’t quit for that reason,” Smith said.

The coalition is a conglomerate of agencies. It was founded in 2005 by the Birmingham Foundation after a Carrick High School student was shot and killed outside the school.

“And it’s hard to believe that it’s quadrupled these youth murders,” Smith said.

Smith answered her community’s call for help about 10 years ago after retiring from the state department of health as a violence and injury prevention consultant. She was also an ICU nurse for many years.

Smith is known for bringing people together in unity at countless prayer vigils and meetings with partner organizations, city officials, and police to come up with plans to stop precious youth from being gunned down.

“Our belief is that we have to get them young before they grow, and they are statistics out here. So, our goal is to stop that,” she said.

South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace’s trained peacemakers are like angels on earth. They work tirelessly on the streets in South Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

Smith says they have four violence interrupters and two outreach workers.

“We’d like to have double that out there and I think we can make an even greater difference and save more lives because when we lose kids, we feel that perhaps there was something we missed, we didn’t do,” she said.

The peacemakers respond to shootings at a moment’s notice. They spent hours on tragic scenes in Mount Oliver the last week of July. 17-year-old Andrew Smith died after he was found shot near a Sunoco gas station. Just days before, two teen boys from Carrick and one man were injured in a shooting a few blocks away.

“They were there on the scene, and this is devastating to them as well. They are a bunch of specials called for this purpose men and women who show up, do what they have to do, and go and cry later,” Smith said.

Allegheny County Department of Human Services provided funding and chose the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace to be one of several “quarterbacks” to implement three programs as part of a community violence prevention initiative.

The peacemakers now use the Cure Violence Global model (https://cvg.org/), which is to mediate potentially violent conflicts, reach those most likely to commit violence, and change community norms around violence.

“Not only are they walking the streets, patrolling, preventing, putting out fires before they get started and they mentor these young people, we do mediations with them and families,” Smith said.

The other two programs start in the Fall. That includes Young Guidance’s Becoming a Man program, which will be added to Carrick High School. Counselors will help teen boys make responsible decisions.

The other new program, Readi Chiago, is a paid transitional jobs program for men. They’re still hiring people interested in the new Readi Chicago program, which provides a 12-month employment opportunity. If anyone is interested, just reach out to the coalition on Facebook or call them at 412-481-2777.

Smith said they are thankful for the City of Pittsburgh as well; the city has provided a stop the violence grant.

Smith said it takes a village and it’s time to work together.

“Report potential conflicts and crime, be helpful to our investigators, our police department, give them respect because they’re doing an awesome job and help them to solve these crimes as well but help us to prevent these crimes as well,” she said.

You can learn more about SPCP’s programs, partners, and funders on its website.

If you would like to see an organization highlighted in KDKA’S Sunday Spotlight segment, send Jessica Guay an email at jguay@kdka.com