The Trump administration’s abrupt cancellation of hundreds of Department of Justice (DOJ) grants has sent shockwaves through communities across the country. Nowhere is this more painfully felt than in cities like Camden, where organizations such as Cure4Camden have been at the forefront of efforts to prevent gun violence. These cuts, justified as a shift in “law enforcement priorities,” have left local violence prevention groups scrambling and vulnerable communities at risk.
As a school nurse in Camden, I see firsthand the devastating impact that gun violence has on our children and families. For me, this issue is not just professional. It is deeply personal and generational. My father, Charles Cohen, survived the 1949 Camden mass shooting that took the lives of his entire family and 10 neighbors. He was just a 12-year-old boy, hiding in a closet while violence tore through his home and neighborhood, the same city where I have worked for the past 24 years.
Our family’s story of survival and loss did not end with that tragedy. Decades later, my niece was a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a gunman opened fire in 2018. The trauma of surviving one of the deadliest school shootings in American history is scarring. Seventeen students and staff were killed, and countless others-including my niece-were left forever changed.
A Lifeline Severed
Cure4Camden, like many grassroots violence intervention programs, depends on federal grants to fund its life-saving work. These organizations deploy “violence interrupters”-trusted community members who mediate conflicts, support victims, and prevent retaliation before it escalates. Their efforts have made a real difference, helping to reduce shootings and keep neighborhoods safer.
The DOJ’s decision to revoke funding with little warning has forced groups like Cure4Camden to halt services, lay off staff, and leave at-risk youth and families without support. For Camden, a city that has worked tirelessly to overcome its reputation for this is more than a budget cut. It is a public safety emergency.
Contradictory Priorities, Real-World Consequences
The administration claims these cuts are necessary to fight violent crime and protect children. Yet, gun violence is now the number one cause of death for children and teens in the United States, surpassing car accidents and cancer. In 2022 alone, firearms were responsible for more deaths among young people than any other cause, a uniquely American tragedy that sets us apart from every other wealthy nation. Community violence intervention programs like Cure4Camden offer on-the-ground solutions that complement law enforcement, building trust and fostering real change.
The loss of funding will disrupt ongoing projects and erode trust in the very institutions meant to keep communities safe. When these programs are defunded, gun violence and retaliatory shootings often increase. The consequences are immediate and devastating.
A Broader Pattern of Disinvestment
Camden’s experience is not unique. Across the country, similar organizations have reported devastating losses. Programs in other cities have lost millions, threatening their ability to reach high-risk youth and continue their violence prevention work. Even support services for crime victims and survivors of domestic violence are being stripped away.
The cuts have sown confusion and fear, with some grants reinstated only after public outcry, but most remaining in limbo. The process has been disorderly and opaque, with little regard for the real-world consequences in communities already stretched thin.
The Path Forward: Community at the Crossroads
For Camden, the stakes could not be higher. Cure4Camden and its peers are not “wasteful” expenditures are essential investments in public safety, community healing, and the future of the city’s youth. The sudden withdrawal of DOJ support is a stark reminder that progress in the fight against gun violence is fragile and must never be taken for granted.
If federal priorities have shifted, it falls to state and local governments, private philanthropists, and the broader public to fill the gap quickly and decisively. The alternative is clear: more violence, more victims, and the unraveling of hard-won gains.
As Camden faces this crossroads, the question is not whether it can afford to support Cure4Camden and similar organizations. The real question is whether it can afford not to. For those who value safer streets and stronger communities, the answer is clear.
As someone whose family has survived two of America’s most notorious mass shootings, I know the scars of gun violence last for generations. The children I care for deserve better. Camden deserves better. We cannot afford to abandon the organizations that are saving lives and building hope. The cost of these cuts will not just be measured in dollars, but in lives and futures lost. It is time for our leaders to recognize that investing in violence prevention is not optional. It is essential. For the sake of our children, our families, and our future, we must restore funding to Cure4Camden and all organizations working to end the cycle of violence for our kids and all communities.
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