Bull City United, a violence prevention program in Durham that began in 2016, is shutting down after county officials announced they were pulling the plug.
In a sent on Friday night, the county鈥檚 department of Community Intervention and Support Services, or CISS, said the decision to end the program was 鈥渞ooted in the department鈥檚 commitment to continuously evaluate and adapt its efforts to ensure the most impactful and sustainable outcomes.鈥�
Bull City United employed "interrupters," people who were formerly incarcerated-to intervene in neighborhood disputes before they turned violent. It was modeled on a similar program in Chicago that treats violence like a disease that can be cured through early intervention.
"It鈥檚 personal with me fighting this battle out here. I want this neighborhood to be back like it was when I used to run through here,鈥� interrupter David Johnson told 瓜神app in 2018.
The county announced it would review the program in August, after some of the interrupters were arrested on gun and drug charges.
As of Friday, Bull City United employed 14 full-time staff and six contractors. The program budget totaled $2,577,913, with Durham City Council contributing about half of the funding. CISS said it would offer support to affected workers to find new jobs.
