Kansas City’s No Violence Alliance to be partially revived
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County leaders are looking into an old program to try to drop Kansas City’s homicide rate.
Stand Against Violence Everybody KC, or SAVE KC, will try to move people away from a future life of violence. The City’s Public Safety Director touched on the program Thursday, April 18.
Another group a part of SAVE KC is Jackson County COMBAT, a public safety tax that voters have approved to try to prevent drug related and violent crime.
Jackson County COMBAT Director Vince Ortega says the No Violence Alliance, better known as NoVA, started in about 2012 and lasted four to five years. He believes when it first began, it was very successful.
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“I think in 2014, the annual homicides were at 82, which was the lowest they’ve been in decades.”
Ortega was right about that number, but they still increased over the next three years. The city’s deadliest year on record was 2023 with 182 homicides.
Ortega does not know why NoVA ended. Regardless, he thinks SAVE KC will be successful over time.
“I see a lot of communication this time where I didn’t see that before in the NOVA,” he continued. “Again, COMBAT not being a part of the social service piece. Now with everybody communicating, and not only with Kansas City, but in Jackson County, we even have at those meetings the Kansas representatives, so again, a broader picture, more comprehensive, more communication and coordinating of resources.”
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Ortega says social services could provide people with rental or food assistance. That’s where Jackson County COMBAT could come into play with SAVE KC. Ron Hunt, CEO of Young Gifted Artistic says in the past, county leaders and police have tried to work with violent offenders, offer them other alternatives, and it was a huge success.
“Some of those violent offenders had child support. They had warrants out on them, and they said, ‘Hey, we know you’re here,’ so it’s the engagement, the interaction, something that we haven’t had lately,” he said in an interview with FOX4 Thursday.
SAVE KC does have public meetings. Its next one is set for Friday, May 3. A time and location are not yet known.
