A.T. Mitchell
A.T. Mitchell - NYC Gun Violence Prevention Czar & Founding Director of Man Up Inc.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Andre T. Mitchell is the first ever New York City Gun Violence Prevention Czar and Co-Chair of the NYC Mayor’s Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, appointed by Mayor Eric Adams, and the founder and executive director of Man Up! Inc., a community service organization dedicated to building a safer city through violence prevention, education and employment through the use of credible messengers. MUI became a federal recognized 501(c)3 charitable tax-exempt organization in 2005.
Mitchell, a well-known and respected community activist and leader, started MUI voluntarily in 2004 in response to the killing of 8-year-old Daesean Hill. He was fatally struck by a stray bullet as he walked home in East New York on November 17, 2003 with his stepfather and younger siblings. MUI represents a capstone of Mitchell’s 30 plus year career in public service since being released from prison in 1991, including his work as chief of staff for New York City Councilman Charles Barron. Prior to founding MUI in 2004, Mitchell also worked his way through the ranks in different capacities for various nonprofit organizations for more than 15 years.
Through Mitchell, in 2009, MUI was an early adopter of the “Cure Violence” model and one of the first organizations in New York State to implement the program, now considered an integral part of evidence-based violence reduction in NYC and other urban communities. Mitchell is credited as a co-architect of the NYC Crisis Management System, a systematic and comprehensive wrap-around service model to reduce gun violence which was established in 2010. In addition, in 2011 he was appointed to the NYC Task Force on Gun Violence by the Speaker of the NYC Council.
Mitchell and MUI have been recognized and acclaimed by various city, state and federal agencies as well as leading research and academic institutions. In a comprehensive evaluation of the program, the John Jay Criminal College of Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation Center found MUI to be the best replicator of the Cure Violence model in the city; in a later in-depth study, John Jay found the work of MUI to be responsible for a 50 percent decrease in gun injuries in East New York and further noted that “the explanatory power of Cure Violence on attitudes was strong.” John Jay also attributed to the program a steep decline in “the willingness of respondents to use violence in resolving disputes.”
For more than a decade, Mitchell voluntarily serves civically as an appointed community board member. Additionally, in 2014 he was elected the youngest Honorable Chair of Community Board 5 in East New York, Brooklyn, proudly serving the same neighborhood he grew up in with his single parent mother as well as his seven brothers and sisters in public housing.
With a plethora of credentials under his belt, Mitchell is an Anger Management Specialist, Certified Recovery Coach, Certified in Restorative Justice Practices and a Certified National Credible Messenger. He received certifications from Cornell University and the University of Connecticut in Family Development and Leadership (FDC & FDLC). He is also a Certified Cure Violence Global Trainer in Violence Intervention and Reduction Training. Marked by media, in 2017, MUI passed a historic milestone, celebrating 1000 days with no gun murders in the neighborhood they call home.
As a result of this impact and others on the community, Mitchell has been called upon to spearhead and organize hundreds of rallies, protests and calls for social and criminal justice reform. As a community development and violence prevention strategist, he has also been recruited to consult other cities' grass-root and non-profit organizations throughout the country to build capacity and support development. One of the subjects of the award-winning documentary The Black Picket Fence, Mitchell and MUI have also been featured by The New York Times, CBS News, Fox News, BET News, Showtime’s Dark Net, the New York Amsterdam News, BK Reader, La Prensa Latina, The Village Voice, and many other publications.
In June of 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced a new Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. A.T. Mitchell was appointed the Co-Chair of this new initiative alongside First Deputy Mayor, Sheena Wright. Man Up Inc. was later ranked top 100 in the City & State 2022 Power 100 Nonprofit—with Mitchell also being recognized as a charismatic leader by the City & State 2022 Brooklyn Power 100.