On Tuesday, March 4, Mayor Lester Miller, the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, and the District Attorney’s Office made a presentation to the Commission and public on the work of the Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) program the previous year. Since it began in 2021, this presentation has been made annually as a progress report to the community on how legislators, law enforcement, and, most importantly, the community are working together to create a safer Macon-Bibb County.
“Nearly four years ago, on a blistering hot day, hundreds of us stood in Rosa Parks Square to affirm in one voice that we must work together to fight back against the plague of violent crime affecting every neighborhood in our community,” Mayor Miller reminded people. “Since then, we have engaged with thousands of people in our community on what is needed and where are our resources. We heard that public safety was the most important issue people were facing…that they were tired of feeling scared. And that they were willing to help make a change.”
“We are seeing results in our community much earlier than we had expected, and that speaks volumes to the quality of work done by our partners,” MVP Coordinator Jeremy Grissom said before inviting forward the partners. “The numbers tell a story, but it’s not the full story. The story is being written day in and day out through our partners.”
The Mayor announced another year in which the homicide rate dropped, thanks to the work of the community, and both Sheriff David Davis and District Attorney Anita Howard point to their own specific programs and the success they’ve had. That included:
- A 45% drop in homicides from 2022 to 2024, from 71 to 39.
- An 87% drop in homicides among teenagers from 2022 to 2024, from 15 to 2.
- An increase in graduates from 26 to 122 in the District Attorney’s R.I.S.E. program.
- A reduction from 2023 to 2024 in the number of incidents (26.6%) and shots (28.5%) recorded by the Sheriff Office’s ShotSpotter system.
The Sheriff and District Attorney both pointed to the Verkada and Flock Camera systems – and to ShotSpotter – as being invaluable in investigating cases, finding suspects, and getting convictions. Everyone who spoke up to this point credited the broader community for their support, engagement, and proactive approach to working with families and children.
“I want to tell you that I have seen the work of our nonprofits changing lives,” Grissom said. “And that’s the hopeful part. That people are joining us in this effort because it’s so important.”
This past summer, the Community Foundation of Central Georgia (CFCGA) announced $855,500 would be given to 25 organizations for the third round of MVP grants. That brought the total over three years of grants to 40 organizations receiving more than $2.5 million to help transform the lives of children, families, and entire communities.
The third round of grants were awarded in three areas:
- 19 grants totaling $625,500 for supervised activities for youth.
- 2 grants totaling $55,000 for mental health resources.
- 4 grants totaling $175,000 to provide support, education, and accountability for parents.
Grantees have also benefited from five Collaborative Learning Exchanges where they could all connect, share insights, and learn from experts. It also provided them the opportunity to work together with their funds to have a deeper impact on the people they were serving.
“We recognize that this is a long-term effort,” Kathryn Dennis, President of the CFCGA said. “The challenges of violent crime were not created overnight, and they will not be solved overnight. This work requires persistence, partnership, and the understanding that real change takes time.”