- Lansing Empowerment Network hosts first in-person Lansing 360 Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative meeting.
- Lansing 360 modeled after a successful program in Omaha, Nebraska; shows a nearly 9% drop in violent crime.
- Watch video above to see how you could get involved.
For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.
Just by his voice, you could hear how important freedom is to Michael Taylor.
“So I went to prison at 18,” Taylor said. “I got out at 33 and and I served two more years on parole.”
Fifteen years behind bars for armed robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.
“By the time I came home, my mind was changed, so I immediately wanted to impact where I had done my dirt at,” Taylor said. “Kinda fix some of the things that I have broke.”
That brings us to Wednesday afternoon. Taylor was one of dozens of city leaders and advocates in attendance for the first ever Lansing 360 in person meeting.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lansing 360, combating gun violence one conversation at a time
“We’re having conversations about what’s happening in the meeting, who's doing work in the community and where we can direct resources at,” said Lansing 360 President Michael Lynn Jr.
Lynn has been leading these weekly meetings virtually for 16 months, modeling the idea off of a similar program in Omaha, Nebraska. And LPD says it's working -- citing a nearly 9 percent drop in violent crime.
“We're down in our fatal shootings,” said Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus. “ So, this time last year there were 9 fatal shooting, we currently stand at 7 and for non fatal shootings, this time last year we were at 56 now we're at 53. Those number aren't where we want them to be… but we are making progress…. (14:55).
TRACK: Progress that leaders will continue with these weekly discussions. Since this is a strong collaborative effort, the City of Lansing has agreed to put $125,000 toward Lansing 360.
