Bull City United, a violence prevention program in Durham that began in 2016, is shutting down after county officials announced they were pulling the plug.
In a press release sent on Friday night, the county’s department of Community Intervention and Support Services, or CISS, said the decision to end the program was “rooted in the department’s commitment to continuously evaluate and adapt its efforts to ensure the most impactful and sustainable outcomes.”
Bull City United employed "interrupters," people who were formerly incarcerated-to intervene in neighborhood disputes before they turned violent. It was modeled on a similar program in Chicago that treats violence like a disease that can be cured through early intervention.
"It’s personal with me fighting this battle out here. I want this neighborhood to be back like it was when I used to run through here,” interrupter David Johnson told WUNC in 2018.
The county announced it would review the program in August, after local media reported some of the interrupters were arrested on gun and drug charges.
As of Friday, Bull City United employed 14 full-time staff and six contractors. The program budget totaled $2,577,913, with Durham City Council contributing about half of the funding. CISS said it would offer support to affected workers to find new jobs.
