THE CONTEXT

In 2024, Oklahoma City experienced 78 homicides—three more than the number of homicides in 2023 and 4 more than 2022 giving us a per capita number of a little over 10 homicides per 100,000 people. That ranked OKC at about 58 among the leading 200 cities in homicides. But as of September 2025, homicides have been down 21% so far compared to this time last year. We expect these numbers to continue to fall because violence is preventable.

And we are working hard to prevent it.

While Peace City's Community-Based Violence Intervention program relies on an evidence-based model, the program is shaped by community and local assets, ensuring that the program is a program "OF" the community.

Proven Strategies Exist

A panel of five men speaking to an audience in a school auditorium with a stage, American flags, and blue curtains.

There are proven, evidence-based violence reduction strategies that are simply not funded or supported at scale. These strategies typically reduce shootings and homicides by 30-60% (without increasing incarceration), but often go ignored.

A small number of very high-risk individuals are responsible for the majority of gun violence.

  • In many cities, up to 70% of gun related homicides can be attributed to this small, identifiable group of individuals.

  • A central principle underlying the CVI Model is to engage this group.

  • In Oakland, for example, researchers found that, despite a high proportion of residents with criminal records, only about 400 of the over 400,000 residents were involved in the majority of homicides.

At Peace City we recruit inviduals in our community with a combination of respect, trust, experience, and credibility. Our PeaceMakers then receive extensive and ongoing training from national leaders in the most current, effective, and safe techniques in violence intervention and case management.

PeaceMakers then rely on these techniques to perform community outreach in a way that allows individuals ready to find a life free from gun violence to access our program and services. Additionally, the PeaceMakers work to support families and victims in crisis to ensure the victimization and trauma of gun violence does not ripple further into new cycles of violence.

Once a new program participant has made the commitment to refrain from violence, PeaceMakers go to work providing much-needed, critical resources to ensure short-term and long-term recovery from a cycle of violence.

Through community partnerships, Peace City is able to provide the below services to program participants:

HOW 

WE 

DO 

IT 

Smiling man with glasses on his head, wearing a blue jacket and a blue T-shirt with white graphics and text, celebrating Oklahoma City and the legacy of Clara Luper, during a public event or parade.

  • MENTORSHIP

  • PEER SUPPORT GROUP

  • MENTAL & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE

  • GED/DIPLOMA SUPPORT

  • EDUCATION ACCESS SUPPORT

  • SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (AA/NA)

  • FAITH / RELIGIOUS / SPIRITUAL SERVICES

  • COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

  • VICTIMS SERVICES

  • HOLISTIC GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS

  • EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT SERVICES

  • TRANSPORTATION

  • HOUSING SUPPORT (EMERGENCY & LONG-TERM)

  • FAMILY SERVICES

  • PRIMARY CARE

Group of diverse young people posing in an auditorium or theater with a stage and red curtains.

OUR MODEL

Flowchart diagram illustrating program activities, including identification, intervention, case management, with arrows connecting the steps and partners involved.

DO YOU NEED OUR HELP?

If so, please complete the form below, and we’ll be in touch.

All messages are kept strictly confidential.