A new Kansas City coalition of community partners, social service agencies and law enforcement — all with the goal of curbing violence — kicked off their efforts Thursday, inviting over two dozen people associated with gangs or groups involved in violence to meet.

SAVE KC, which stands for Stand Against Violence Everyone/Everywhere/Everyday, held what they referred to as their first “call-in,” according to a news release from the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

The initiative — based on what officials said is a “focused deterrence model that has been proven in cities across the nation” — will work to reduce violence, in part by hosting small meetings led by community leaders delivering key messages to those close to violence. In these meetings, leaders will offer services to improve the lives of those associated with violence, and explain the consequences of being involved in gun violence, as well as the impact on the community. They will also emphasize alternative solutions.

It echoes previous efforts by the Kansas City No Violence Alliance, or KC NoVa, a collaborative law enforcement effort to reduce crime that was shuttered five years ago following some early success, after Kansas City police said it ceased being effective.

In the first “call-in” last week, speakers opened up about losing loved ones to violence, according to the prosecutor’s office. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Police Chief Stacey Graves also spoke to attendees.

State and local laws and community programs have thus far failed to curb violence in Kansas City, as homicides have climbed in recent years, peaking in 2023, when the city’s homicide rate hit an all-time high in recorded history, reaching 185, according to data recorded by The Star.

Here’s more of The Star’s reporting on efforts to reduce violence in Kansas City: