Knoxville City Council Approves New Violence Interruption Program

Community outreach workers engaging with locals to reduce gun violence in Knoxville.

News Summary

The Knoxville City Council has approved a contract with the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform for a new violence interruption program to address gun violence. This initiative will provide resources and support to individuals at risk and employ five outreach messengers. Despite some dissent from council members expressing concerns over funding local nonprofits, the program aims to foster community connections and decrease violence in Knoxville. The contract includes a provision for local partners to take over if capable, keeping community involvement at the forefront.

Knoxville, Tennessee – The Knoxville City Council has officially approved a contract with the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) for a new violence interruption program aimed at reducing gun violence in the city. The decision follows community input and aims to provide essential resources to individuals at risk of engaging in violent behavior. The contract will last for up to one year and totals $826,800, with an additional $519,750 allocated for managing community violence intervention programming.

The NICJR will be responsible for hiring and managing five messengers who will act as life coaches and outreach workers, directly engaging with individuals in the community. This initiative is designed to create connections between at-risk individuals and resources that can help them break the cycle of violence.

Despite the approval of the NICJR contract, the council faced dissent from some members. Council members Amelia Parker, Seema Singh, and Charles Thomas voted against the proposal, expressing that local nonprofits like Turn Up Knox and Renounce Denounce should receive direct taxpayer funding instead of outsourcing to an out-of-state organization. Council member Charles Thomas highlighted the effectiveness of local groups in violence interruption efforts from the previous year, believing they are capable of managing such important community resources.

Knoxville has not funded a city violence interruption program since the cancellation of Turn Up Knox’s contract in early 2025, which was terminated amid disputes between its executive director, Denzel Grant, and city officials. The new program approved by the city council represents a significant shift as it brings in NICJR, which has been collaborating with city staff and local partners for almost two years prior to this recent contract.

In an effort to promote community involvement, local groups are invited to apply for positions created under NICJR’s new contract. However, some local leaders have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest regarding this arrangement. LaKenya Middlebrook pointed out that the city’s office of community safety and empowerment currently lacks the capacity to effectively support the kind of work carried out by Turn Up Knox.

Aside from the issues of local versus external management, dissenting council members have also voiced concerns over the financial support for local partners and the lack of thorough community conversation surrounding the approval of the contract. This apprehension stems from an ongoing debate about the engagement of the local community in decisions that directly affect its safety and wellbeing.

Importantly, the new contract allows for the possibility of an early termination if the city determines that a local community partner is ready to take over the responsibilities currently assigned to NICJR. This provision aims to ensure that community involvement and local empowerment remain at the forefront of violence intervention efforts in Knoxville. The council’s decision to move forward with the NICJR program indicates a commitment to addressing violence in the city while also leaving the door open for future collaboration with local organizations.

As Knoxville embarks on this new initiative to tackle gun violence, there will be keen interest in its effectiveness and the potential for integrating community-based organizations into the program. The city looks ahead to a future where violence interruption is more localized and driven by the very communities it serves.