Safe & Just Communities Summit

The National Urban League and John Jay College of Criminal Justice presented the Safe & Just Communities Summit, a two-day immersive experience into a comprehensive, community-centered framework for safe communities that are Resourced, Just, Healthy, and Restored.

Our biannual summit will resume in Spring 2025. 

Towards a New Age for Community Safety

In the wake of a 30% rise in firearm violence across the United States since the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Urban League and the Urban League Affiliate movement has been working harder than ever to address the immediate needs of the communities we serve while advocating for state and federal gun reform measures. 

The National Urban League has long supported Universal Background Checks and Assault Weapons Bans federally to help stem the rising tide of gun violence. We also know, thanks to insights and perspectives from our partner networks on the ground, that federal law, policy change and direct community investment are the joint paths forward that we deserve.
 

The National Urban League publishes this report -- Towards a New Age for Community Safety -- to provide further inspiration to the growing trend toward community-led responses to gun violence prevention. In our report, you will find regional community projects for state and local violence prevention implementation from the Northeast to Southeast, to Midwest, and West/ Southwest that address root causes, provides resources and investment, and brings communities and like-minded partners together.

Our lists are intended to be instructive and demonstrative of the growing movement toward innovative, community-led prevention systems, but is not an exhaustive list of the thousands of efforts borne everyday by leaders in every community. This report also provides legislative and policy context for gun safety and reform on the federal, state, and local level, and statistical resources that we have found helpful to our movement’s work in this space.

Fast Facts: 

• Approximately 400 million firearms are currently in circulation in the U.S., including 4 million assault rifles, with civilian gun ownership is rising in the U.S.
• 2020 was the largest single-year increase in gun homicides on record. Gun violence reports grew by 30% during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most states experienced a spike.
• Community-led violence intervention systems are growing in popularity, from the White House to Governor's Offices to municipal governments because they address the root issues of violence and provide alternatives to police response.