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'Critical role': Tulsa gets $2M U.S. DOJ grant to reduce violent crimes

By: Braden Bates

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TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa and numerous community partners announced a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce violent crimes.

Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols announced the grant on December 19.

"The only pathway to true community safety is actually working with the community itself," said Nichols.

The Tulsa Community-Based Violence Intervention Initiative aims to reduce violent crimes by hitting the problem from the front end not only dealing with it after the fact.

The initiative took feedback from Tulsans.

"What we've done at My Brother's Keeper is to ensure that boys and young men of color are also leading the way. Their voices are heard in the development of this strategy and so they've played a critical role," said Berthaddaeus Bailey.

He's the managing director for My Brother's Keeper at Impact Tulsa.

He said Tulsa organizations will work with neighborhoods to intervene and educate.

"But what we did in My Brother's Keeper and Impact Tulsa is we used data to understand where the problems are happening within our city," said Bailey

TCVI will focus on areas where its help is needed most.

TPD's Homicide Tracker said Tulsa had 50 murders this year, up two from 2023. The city's goal is to cut that number down through early intervention.

"Education is one of the foundations for changing the trajectory of a person's life. If they're not reading by the third grade they're building a prison cell for them," said Former State Senator Kevin Matthews.