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Morning Edition
Cathy Wurzer and Julia Franz

Minneapolis mobilizes ‘violence interrupters’ in new effort to curb violent crime

A woman gestures as she sits at a conference table with two men.
Sasha Cotton, who directs the Minneapolis violence prevention office, (center) leads a violence prevention steering committee meeting in February.
Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News file

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When it comes to violence in Minneapolis, the city is closing the door on one of the bloodiest summers in recent memory, as we reported earlier this month. More than 40 people were killed between Memorial Day and Labor Day — more than twice as many as in the same period last year.

Efforts to stem violence have come alongside calls by Minneapolis leaders, activists and residents to reimagine the city’s police department following the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd. One of those efforts involves pulling more than a million dollars from the police budget to hire so-called “violence interrupters.” MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked to Sasha Cotton, who directs the Minneapolis Office of Violence Prevention.

Listen to the interview by using the audio player above.