The Englewood Public Safety Taskforce recently a new $953,000 grant it received from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
The DOJ’s Community Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) initiative provides resources to convene diverse local partners, including police, sheriffs, prosecutors, researchers, municipal agencies, service providers, community developers and residents. Together they examine the varied factors contributing to crime and pursue strategies that are grounded in data and research, and are supported by people who live and work in the area. These strategies typically include efforts to address blight and vacant properties, to create new economic opportunities, and to build connections between neighbors -all complementing strategic law enforcement actions.
“This initiative will greatly support the work we are doing to reduce crime across our district. It fits perfectly with our efforts to increase community engagement,” said Kenneth Johnson, Former Commander 7th District of Chicago Police.
“As Action Champion for the Englewood Public Safety Taskforce, we are excited about the many opportunities we will have to create a safe and peaceful community with so many of our partners. Together, we can make positive changes that will benefit our neighborhood for years to come,” said Asiaha Butler, President of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood R.A.G.E.
Our project is named “T.I.M.E. – 21:36.” “T.I.M.E. is an acronym for This Is My Englewood, 21:36 represents the perspective of the community, which covers the 60621 and 60636 zip codes,” stated Maurice Pha’tal Perkins, Project Coordinator. “As residents of the neighborhood, we can create our own narrative about Englewood and what is really happening with public safety in our community.”
Teamwork Englewood is the fiscal agent for this project that involves a team of Cross Sector partners, including the 007th District Chicago Police Department (law enforcement partner), the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (community engagement partner), Northeastern Illinois University (research partner), and the Englewood Quality of Life Plan Champions (taskforce partner).
“Engaging communities in using evidence to design transformative processes are critical in the effort to change long-term systemic problems. This effort builds upon the existing strengths of the Englewood community & partners among key stakeholders and residents concerning research, design, implementation and evaluation for community change,” states Dr. Troy Harden of Northeastern Illinois University.
For more information about T.I.M.E. – 21:36, contact Maurice Pha’tal Perkins at [email protected].
