The team focuses on violence prevention by building strong communication and promoting conflict resolution. Its mission is to establish clear boundaries and encourage positive behaviors.
For the past two years, the PEACE Team has collaborated with the EMBRACE Initiative to enhance safety on Eutaw Street. Operating Monday through Friday, the PEACE Team focuses on violence prevention by building strong communication, fostering empathy, and promoting conflict resolution skills. Its mission is to establish clear boundaries, provide support, and encourage positive behaviors. By using peer mediation and restorative practices, the team members address conflicts before they escalate, while empowering individuals with tools for emotional regulation. Additionally, they engage the community in proactive discussions to create a safer, more inclusive environment.
Over the past two years, the PEACE Team has held over 7,000 conversations about violence prevention on Eutaw Street and has been involved in more than 500 mediations. When the PEACE Team began its violence/crime prevention efforts in March 2023, there were approximately 25 groups openly selling narcotics on Eutaw Street. As of January, there was an average of three.
The team’s outcomes have been impressive. The team members have now shifted to the next phase of their EMBRACE VIBRANCY on Eutaw Initiative. The PEACE Team is now working to create a vibrant and positive atmosphere on Eutaw Street through environmental design. Each day, the PEACE Team deploys up and down Eutaw Street to clean up (see photo), talk with people about respecting the environment in the community, and ensuring a safe and pleasant environment.
The PEACE Team believes that maintaining a clean Eutaw Street is essential for bringing vibrancy to the community.
“When the streets are clean, people behave differently,” says Anthony Gaitling of the PEACE Team. There has been a visible transformation in the appearance of Eutaw Street and the overall attitude of those who spend time there.
Passersby have remarked that the street looks better, and people are showing more respect by no longer littering. Next time you are headed to Lexington Market, please stop by and say hello to the PEACE Team and thank its members for EMBRACING VIBRANCY on Eutaw Street.