KC Common Good and The Empowerment Network

Kansas City has a long way to go to end gun violence in our city. But we have to recognize it as a collective problem that hurts us all, no matter what part of the city we live in. We have to acknowledge that every life lost to gun violence matters—and that every one of us has a responsibility to stop it.

To some, gun violence and broken trust between police and community members seem like problems that are simply too big to fix, but not to Willie Barney. Willie shares how his collaborative has used a holistic approach to dramatically reduce gun violence in Omaha and build stronger police-community relations.

As the founder and president of the African-American Empowerment Network, Willie has transformed the city of Omaha through the Omaha 360 Violence Intervention and Prevention Collaborative, in partnership with hundreds of other leaders in the city. Made up of representatives from all parts of the community, from the clergy to the private sector to the police, the collaborative uses a holistic approach to reduce gun violence and build stronger police-community relations—and it’s yielded real results.

Before COVID-19 hit, their work contributed to a 74 percent sustained decrease in gun violence and a 90 percent decrease in officer involved shootings over ten years. We will speak with Willie to learn more about how he, his team and Network Partners have achieved those successes.

KC Common Good

Founded in 2018, Klassie Alcine, President, is addressing the root causes of violence to instill hope and ensure a successful future for every individual in the greater Kansas City region. Their mission is to create an environment where all citizens can live safely and have access to real opportunities. KC Common Good uses social entrepreneurship principles to pursue innovative solutions to social problems by project managing small scale pilot programs in partnership with business and community-based organizations to reduce crime and recidivism, increase generational wealth, and increase workforce development for returning citizens, veterans, and at-risk youth.

Earlier this month, several City and community leaders joined Klasie in announcing a new comprehensive crime prevention framework—The Reform Project—that will guide Kansas City’s ongoing work to build a safer community for all residents. This framework includes four pillars—prevention, intervention, enforcement, and administrative reform.

Join us for another great conversation and learn more about how the Empowerment Network and KC Common Good are using collective impact models to reduce crime and improve equity for all citizens.