Promoting Healing and Strengthening Relationships within the West Harlem Community: The Role of Credible Messengers
By Aimee Ouellet, Research Analyst, and Pavithra Nagarajan, Senior Research Associate
The West Harlem Community Reentry and Restoration Project (WHCRRP), a local, community-driven program in West Harlem, sought to address the disruption and trauma experienced by members of the West Harlem Community as a result of a law enforcement intervention in 2014. A recent evaluation of the program found that WHCRRP provided services and supports to bolster anti-violence efforts, identified and addressed the needs of individuals returning to the community from incarceration, and promoted healing between members of the community and law enforcement.
In June of 2014, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) arrested a total of 103 males, ranging from 15-37 years old, in response to high levels of violence in and around Manhattanville and Grant New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing developments in West Harlem. Between 2010 and 2014, members of three rival groups had been responsible for two homicides and multiple shooting incidents in the area.[1] The law enforcement intervention (LEI) led to the largest gang violence prosecution in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s (DANY’s) history, with most of the people charged serving jail or prison time.
In the four years following the LEI, the homicide rate and non-fatal shooting rate in and around the Manhattanville and Grant Houses decreased by 80 percent and 41 percent, respectively, compared to these rates prior to the intervention.[2] The LEI, however, also led to many unintended, negative consequences for the community. The way the LEI was conducted was broadly perceived as unnecessarily traumatic for many community residents, even those not charged with a crime; the immediate removal of the 103 males who were charged, and ultimately incarcerated, disrupted families and the community. Notably, as these LEI-affected males return home from incarceration, they must also contend with the difficult and complicated process of reentry, and must manage strained relationships between members of the rival groups. The LEI, therefore, despite addressing violent crime in the area, contributed to deep community mistrust of law enforcement, prosecutors, and the criminal legal system as a whole.
The West Harlem Community Reentry and Restoration Project
In an effort to address the impact of the LEI on the community and sustain the reduction in violence that occurred, CUNY ISLG and DANY created The West Harlem Community Reentry and Restoration Project (WHCRRP) through the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) to promote healing and reconciliation among community members and between the community and law enforcement. To do so, it aimed to support community members who have recently returned, or are soon to return, from incarceration and strengthen the capacity for local community-based organizations to provide services and support violence prevention.
The WHCRRP, operating in partnership with Osborne Association (OA) and Tayshana “Chicken” Murphy Foundation (TCMF), provided services for those in the Manhattanville and Grant Houses, as well as the surrounding area, through a three-pronged approach: (1) credible messenger mentoring; (2) restorative justice;[3] and (3) a capacity-building incubator for local organizations. Over the course of the implementation period (from July 2020 to August 2023), the WHCRRP supported 327 individuals of the West Harlem community, including some who were formerly incarcerated as a result of the 2014 LEI, their family members, and other community members.
Recent findings from Research Triangle Institute’s (RTI) interim evaluation report of the WHCRRP program highlight how credible messengers developed strong relationships with program participants. In turn, the strength of these relationships contributed to reducing potential threats of violence and making successful connections to necessary supports and services.
Shared Experience is Essential to Building Trust and Preventing Violence
Credible messengers are typically people with relevant lived experience, such as prior criminal legal system involvement, who have endured a positive transformation in their own lives and now work to connect people at risk of committing or being subject to violence with support and services. WHCRRP credible messengers expressed that, at its core, effectiveness in their role is hard to teach because it is drawn from the relationships they build with individuals based on their shared common sense and lived experience. As one credible messenger stated:
“It's not all about the training. You can train somebody. You can send somebody to school for this, and they can come home and still not know what to do because it's not... It's not that black and white.”
- Credible Messenger
By leveraging their shared experiences, credible messengers establish strong and trusting relationships with program participants, as well as prospective participants. These relationships allow credible messengers to establish effective lines of communication and keep an “ear on-the-ground” so they are aware of individuals who may pose potential threats of violence as well as individuals who are at a higher risk of involvement in serious violence, such as shootings. Credible messengers then engage these individuals in mentoring sessions or activities designed to understand or mitigate the impulse to act violently. One credible messenger described an example of an incident in which they may interrupt potential violence:
“It could be something simple, like on a basketball court. Two teens playing. One may check a person too hard and then they escalate to something. So, before they can escalate, here we come.”
- Credible Messenger
Credible messengers in the WHCRRP could then reorient these individuals away from violence through one-on-one relationships: helping individuals develop positive life goals (e.g., participation in education and employment, physical and mental health, and family and interpersonal relationships) aimed at healing, transformation, and taking care of each other as a community. These goals each play a role in the larger restorative efforts of the program.
Developing Trust Aids Service Connection for Violence-Impacted Communities
Credible messengers can also offer individualized support to participants by assessing their needs and creating linkages to services within their organizations or to other service providers. To best identify and address these needs, credible messengers must have a strong cultural understanding of the West Harlem community and the people being served to ensure program participants receive the appropriate services. Credible messengers take a holistic approach to serving community members, especially with those returning from incarceration, while simultaneously providing the necessary resources for individuals to thrive and prevent further criminal legal system involvement. This approach includes addressing critical needs such as employment, housing, and mental health to ensure individuals are supported throughout the entire reentry process. One program participant expressed their gratitude for the program, sharing:
“It's a relief feeling, like you “got somebody,” compared to feeling like there's nobody or no hope. You have somebody that's going to support you, put you in a direction you need to. As long as you [have] that type of individual [to] do the footwork, then you get the help that you need.”
- Program Participant
About the Program and Evaluation
Although the WHCRRP has formally ended, OA and TCMF continue to work in West Harlem to reduce violence.
This blog accompanies the Research Triangle Institute’s (RTI) interim evaluation report of WHCRRP, drawing from its process evaluation findings. RTI is currently concluding its additional data collection for the outcome evaluation of the program, which will be shared in 2024 in a final report.
About the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) focuses on three investment areas—crime prevention, reentry and diversion, and supports for survivors of crime. The WHCRRP is part of the CJII’s investments in diversion and reentry.
The CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance manages and provides technical assistance to CJII contractors, and conducts oversight and performance measurement throughout the lifetime of the initiative.
[1] Information gathered during investigation. Provided by DANY to ISLG on January 3, 2019.
[2] Information gathered by the Crime Strategies Unit. Provided by DANY to ISLG on January 3, 2019.
[3] Restorative Justice is a model which seeks to bring reconciliation and healing for victims, the offender(s), and the communities in which they live.