Sandtown Community Celebrates 10 Years of Anti-Violence Work

Baltimore's Safe Streets program has helped reduce homicides to historic lows in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood.

Mar. 19, 2026 at 1:41am

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of Sandtown-Winchester's anti-violence work through the Safe Streets program. Leaders at Safe Streets Sandtown say it takes day-in and day-out efforts to help prevent violence, and their work has contributed to a historic reduction in homicides in Baltimore in 2025 - the lowest number in nearly 50 years. The site successfully mediated 91 potentially violent conflicts in 2025 alone, and they are connecting people to housing support, behavioral health care, and job training in addition to conflict mediation.

Why it matters

The Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood in West Baltimore has long struggled with high rates of violence, but the Safe Streets program has helped turn the tide by empowering credible community members to interrupt conflicts and provide vital social services. This 10-year milestone shows the impact that sustained, community-based violence prevention efforts can have in transforming neighborhoods.

The details

The Safe Streets Sandtown site is marking 10 years of violence prevention work in the West Baltimore neighborhood. They successfully mediated 91 potentially violent conflicts in 2025 alone, and with the help of Catholic Charities, they are connecting people to housing support, behavioral health care, and job training in addition to conflict mediation. The site's director, Nicole Warren, has been mentoring the next generation of violence interrupters, including Davon Crawford, who says the resources available now have made a big difference compared to when he was growing up in the community.

  • This year marks the 10th anniversary of Sandtown-Winchester's anti-violence work.
  • In 2025, Baltimore recorded its lowest number of homicides in nearly 50 years.

The players

Nicole Warren

Site director for Safe Streets Sandtown.

Davon Crawford

A violence interrupter mentored by Nicole Warren.

Des'mon Simmons

A community member who has seen the positive impact of the Safe Streets program.

Arnetta Shelton

Chief of community violence intervention for the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.

Catholic Charities

An organization that is helping Safe Streets Sandtown connect people to housing, behavioral health, and job training services.

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What they’re saying

“To see that happen, that means someone is working, and the somewhere is my team.”

— Nicole Warren, Site director for Safe Streets Sandtown

“It definitely changed, because violence was very high when I was growing up, and we didn't have the resources that we have now.”

— Davon Crawford, Violence interrupter

“You can tell that there has been violence prevented. So, they've done a good job with spreading the word that they're around.”

— Des'mon Simmons, Community member

“The work that we're seeing in Sandtown is transformative. I think that what we have and what we build on is the credible messenger. Seeing the people that are from this community investing and co-producing public safety is critical. They're game changers.”

— Arnetta Shelton, Chief of community violence intervention for the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement

“I go home with a smile every day that I'm out here changing lives.”

— Davon Crawford, Violence interrupter

What’s next

The Safe Streets Sandtown site plans to continue its day-in and day-out efforts to prevent violence in the community, building on the progress they have made over the past 10 years.

The takeaway

The Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood's 10-year milestone with the Safe Streets program demonstrates the transformative impact that community-based violence prevention efforts can have. By empowering credible local messengers and providing a holistic approach to addressing the root causes of violence, the program has helped drive historic reductions in homicides and created a stronger, safer community.