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North America Regional Hub: Introduction to City-Led Prevention of Hate and Targeted Violence

Publication Date:

04/03/2025

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Event Reports

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Community Engagementmulti-actor prevention frameworkstargeted violence

— 9 minutes reading time

This report provides a summary of discussions during the event and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Strong Cities Network Management Unit, Strong Cities members, event sponsors or participants.

Summary

The Strong Cities North America Regional Hub is piloting a model for the development of local multi-actor prevention frameworks in several small and mid-sized cities across the United States, including: Albuquerque (New Mexico); Athens (Ohio); Chattanooga (Tennessee); Overland Park (Kansas); and Stamford (Connecticut). The project aims to fill a gap in existing support for local prevention efforts, which often overlooks the role of cities.

As part of this initiative, Strong Cities hosted a four-part Introduction to Prevention webinar series open to all interested city leaders and prevention practitioners to introduce core concepts related to the field of city-led hate and targeted violence prevention programming, in accordance with a public health approach. The webinar sessions covered the following topics:

• Building Multi-Actor Prevention Teams
• Community Engagement Models
• City-Led Primary Prevention
• Secondary Prevention: Referral Mechanisms, Behavioural Intervention and Ongoing Provision of Psychosocial and Other Support

The webinars focused on the role cities can play in prevention as well as provided practical guidance on how cities can implement prevention measures at the local level. Accordingly, each session featured a subject matter expert on prevention as well as city practitioners presenting local case studies across the United States and Canada of local prevention efforts.

Key Themes

1. Coordination among multiple and varied stakeholders is essential for preventing hate and targeted violence in communities. While cities each face unique challenges, a collaborative, multi-actor approach ensures that local actors can work together without duplicating efforts to create stronger prevention networks.
2. Community engagement builds trust, inclusivity and collaboration between local government, public safety and the community. While various engagement models exist – including partnerships, citizen councils, town hall meetings and digital outreach – local governments should adopt approaches that resonate with their citizens to create more inclusive, community-driven prevention efforts that address the needs and priorities of local communities.
3. Primary prevention programs build community resilience and address harmful behaviours before they escalate. Prevention strategies range from civic engagement and youth resilience programs to public messaging and digital literacy education, all of which require careful monitoring and evaluation to ensure a successful impact.
4. Secondary prevention strategies identify individuals at risk of mobilising to violence and provide them with support before it occurs. Establishing clear referral pathways, behavioural interventions and coordination and case management structures ensures that at-risk individuals receive timely support. Implementing or supporting referral mechanisms, training and wrap-around services allows cities to strengthen their ability to prevent violence and support community safety.

Coordination among multiple and varied stakeholders is essential for preventing hate and targeted violence in communities

A multi-actor approach, with representation from a diverse array of stakeholders, is essential to prevention work. Braden Schrag, founder of Polymath Solutions LLC and a member of the Strong Cities subject matter expert pool, underscored the need for community-centred approaches, where those most affected play an integral part of the multi-actor team. In building such a team, each participant’s role and responsibilities should be clearly outlined, based on their professional background/expertise, professional affiliation, relevant interest group, city-specific threats, etc. A team should establish clear lines of communication for information-sharing and develop protocols (whether formal or informal) that are memorialised to ensure clarity, especially as new members on onboarded. Above all, prevention initiatives must also be built on networks of trust to be successful and such measures can help strengthen the trust between team members over time.

Hassan Naveed, Vice Chair of the Board for the New York City Anti-Violence Project and former Executive Director of the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes in New York City, New York (United States), expanded on the challenges of leadership selection in multi-actor groups. He stressed that the most effective leaders are often not necessarily those in official positions, but rather those with the deepest credibility within their communities. Co-leadership models, where governments work alongside trusted community figures to bridge gaps in trust and ensure the success of public safety initiatives, are an effective solution. Without this approach, prevention efforts risk reinforcing existing distrust.

Messaging by prevention team members to their respective constituencies and the broader public also plays a critical role in fostering community trust in prevention initiatives. Schrag emphasised that joint messaging strategies are important and should be rooted in three principles: common language, avoiding stigma and transparency. He noted how using technical or legalistic language can create confusion, whereas inclusive and accessible communication leads to wider engagement. Additionally, he stressed the need to avoid stigmatising language that prevents further alienation of community groups, while transparent, clearly articulated objectives, strategies and limitations help build credibility and support for city-led or supported community safety initiatives.

Community engagement builds trust, inclusivity and collaboration between local governments, public safety and the community

Effective community engagement requires intentional trust-building and the involvement of trusted intermediaries to bridge gaps and foster meaningful connections. Adriana Santos, Program Manager, Newark Public Safety Collaborative, discussed her work at the Newark Public Safety Collaborative in Newark, New Jersey (United States), which features a Director of Community Outreach who serves as a trusted intermediary, enabling deeper connections with diverse neighbourhoods in the city. It is important for cities to remember to prioritise listening before acting to ensure engagement efforts are responsive to actual community concerns.

Effective community engagement also goes beyond one-time interactions; it requires ongoing follow-through and accountability. Debriefing leadership meetings to the community, she said, is one example of ensuring the community has a chance to relay concerns, feedback and establish deliverables. Through this, a cycle of engagement – listening, strategising solutions, implementing changes and reporting back to the community – can be created and instil trust and show commitment.

Additionally, engagement can benefit from institutional backing. Randy Duque, Acting Executive Director, Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, shared an example from the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States) which has faith liaisons and Muslim engagement officers within government structures, exemplifying how government support can strengthen community partnerships and facilitate inclusive dialogue.

Primary prevention programs build community resilience and address harmful behaviours before they escalate

Gwen Mitchell, Co-Director of the International Disaster Psychology Program at the University of Denver, emphasised the importance of identifying and enhancing pre-existing community and individual resilience efforts – often referred to as primary prevention – that can be leveraged for violence prevention. Ideally, these should embrace a whole-of-society, public health approach.

The public health approach is rooted in addressing broad social or societal issues by leveraging resources, such as city programs or state funding, to build safety in the community through increasing protective factors – e.g., social connection, access to resources and education, job security, etc. – and reducing risk factors – e.g., mental health problems, discrimination or a lack of resources, etc. – which can lead to targeted violence.

Laura Parent, Senior Coordinator in the Mayor’s Office of the City of Victoria, British Columbia (Canada), shared Victoria’s public health approach to prevention through its 2025 Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. The plan outlines the city’s focus on meeting the basic needs of the community as the first step in prevention and that no need is too small. For example, adding phone chargers around the downtown area helps young residents feel safe when going out at night, because a dead phone can help prevent being stranded or ending up in a potentially dangerous situation.

Secondary prevention strategies identify individuals at risk of engaging in violence and provide them with support before it occurs

Sara Winegar Budge, Director of Programs at Moonshot, explored the basics of city-led secondary prevention. Although the goals of identifying, assessing and managing those at risk of initiating violence seem simple, there are many elements to consider when implementing this at a city level. For example, intervening directly with the individual versus indirect intervention, which engages the environment and community around the individual for intervention, or considering what care the community can provide to the individual after intervention to prevent future violence.

Social media is also an important element to consider, as online engagement with violent rhetoric does not always indicate an immediate threat but sometimes signals a need for intervention. Organisations like Moonshot are working to monitor online spaces and provide pathways for at-risk individuals to access support services with the goal of redirecting individuals away from hateful influences before they escalate into violence.

Sgt. Brian Smith, Community Partnerships & Engagement Unit, Toronto Police Service examined the evolving landscape of targeted violence threats and the role of prevention strategies. There has been a significant shift in recent years, from identifying with one ideology, to a more fragmented and unpredictable mix of ideologies. This disorganised ideology has been exacerbated by the accessibility of any and all ideological narratives online, where incorrect information and dehumanising rhetoric spread rapidly, leading to increasing difficulty in countering such narratives.

Evon Smith, Senior Manager of FOCUS Toronto, United Way Greater Toronto, Ontario (Canada) shared the work the organisation is doing to combine law enforcement, social services and community organisations to address anti-social behaviour at multiple levels. One of the ways FOCUS Toronto does this is through Situation Tables, where community agencies join a weekly situation table to provide a targeted, wrap-around approach to the most vulnerable individuals, families and places that are experiencing heightened levels of risk in a specific geographic location.

Next Steps

Due to significant interest from participating cities and other prevention stakeholders, Strong Cities will make the Introduction to Prevention series a core part of programming going forward. Future sessions will include Strategic Communications 101: How to talk about prevention and social cohesion work with the public; cross-cultural dialogue; the role of libraries in prevention; and ensuring local government staff well-being/digital security. Please sign up for Strong Cities Network’s mailing list to receive invitations for upcoming webinars and other events relating to city-led prevention.

Additional Resources

• Fifth Global Summit: Building Trust for Multi-Actor, Whole-of-Society Prevention, Strong Cities Network event report, (December 2024) 
• Innovations in Prevention: Piloting Multi-Actor Frameworks in Small and Mid-Sized Cities in the United States, Strong Cities Network policy brief (July 2024)
• A Guide for City-Led Response, Strong Cities Network (March 2024)
• A Guide for Mayors, Strong Cities Network (September 2023)
• A Guide for Cities, Strong Cities Network (September 2023)
• A 10-Step Roadmap for Enhancing City-Led Support for Community-Based Programs to Address Hate and Extremism, Strong Cities Network (June 2023) 
• The Peacemaker’s Toolkit: A Reference Guide for Faith Leaders for Reconciliation in Your Community, Common Ground USA (December 2023) 
• Practitioner’s Framework for Prevention Programming, Prevention Practitioners Network (August 2023)
• Conceptualizing Protective Factors – A Strengths-Based Approach, CREST Research (November 2022)
• Behavioral Assessment and Management – A Practice Guide for Practitioners, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (July 2022) 
• Interventions to Prevent Targeted Violence and Terrorism – A Practice Guide for Practitioners, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (October 2021) 
• Multi-Actor Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) Interventions, International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (October 2021) 

Donors

For more information on this webinar series, or Strong Cities’ North America programming, please contact the Strong Cities North America Regional Hub at [email protected].

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