East Baltimore has reached a significant milestone as the Safe Streets McElderry Park Catchment Zone has recorded 403 consecutive days without a homicide. This achievement was announced by Mayor Brandon M. Scott, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), and LifeBridge Health Center for Hope.
The last homicide in this area occurred on June 19, 2025. This is the second occasion that the McElderry Park site has surpassed 365 days without a homicide, indicating the effectiveness of the Safe Streets initiative.
Mayor Scott attributed this success to the community-driven approach of the Safe Streets program, stating, "This is a testament to what is possible when we put those closest to the pain in our communities at the heart of our solutions to prevent and intervene in violence." He noted that the program has contributed to significant reductions in both homicides and nonfatal shootings across Baltimore over the past three years.
To achieve this milestone, the McElderry Park site has conducted over 358 successful mediations and organized 29 community events aimed at promoting anti-violence messages and resources within the community. Last year alone, Safe Streets violence interrupters intervened in more than 1,752 potentially violent conflicts across all ten Safe Streets locations.
So far in 2026, there have been 780 successful mediations across all Safe Streets sites. The program utilizes individuals who have deep connections to their communities, which officials believe is key to changing attitudes towards gun violence.
The Safe Streets initiative is based on the Cure Violence model, focusing on violence intervention and prevention.
Reported by HarborBeat based on WMAR-2 News (source).
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