Gun violence is an urgent, but often overlooked, issue in Latino1 communities. With hundreds of Latinos shot and killed every year2, it is important to understand the unique forces that drive violence in Latino communities. This brief provides a descriptive overview of Latino gun violence victimization in Chicago.

Since its inception in 2018, the Flatlining Violence Inspires Peace (FLIP) Strategy has sought to advance the practice ofstreet outreach and develop a diverse and sustainable workforce. This multi-pronged strategy buttresses Chicago’s growing outreach capacity by deploying Peacekeepers, who serve as temporary violence preventionists, to hotspots located in communities disproportionately impacted by violence. Full-time outreach professionals train and supervise Peacekeepers to engage in violence reduction activities, expanding the reach of established violence prevention programs.

Interventions aimed at interrupting the transmission of community violence are among the most important and popular initiatives associated with the public health turn in gun violence prevention (Hemenway, 2006). Among policymakers, these approaches represent a means for reducing gun violence without further exacerbating the harms associated with intensive policing and incarceration for communities already burdened by multiple forms of disadvantage.