Acclivus Continues To Focus On Violence Prevention Strategies

Acclivus leaders Bamani Obadele (l) and Tomas Ortiz (r) with one of hundreds of youth who received toys, electronics or cash at the organization’s recent Holiday Toy Giveaway. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ACCLIVUS.
Acclivus leaders Bamani Obadele (l) and Tomas Ortiz (r) with one of hundreds of youth who received toys, electronics or cash at the organization’s recent Holiday Toy Giveaway. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ACCLIVUS.

Acclivus Continues To Focus On Violence Prevention Strategies

By Tia Carol Jones

Acclivus has been providing violence prevention strategies, with the goal of stopping the cycle of violence for six years, after a five-year hiatus. Representatives from Acclivus talked to the Citizen Newspaper about the organization, its mission and programs.

Citizen Newspaper: When was Acclivus founded and how does its work benefit the community?

Acclivus: Acclivus was founded and incorporated in 2010 and (after a period of dormancy starting in 2013) reactivated in 2018. Acclivus is a community health organization focused on violence prevention. Using a unique formula of looking at violence through a public health lens, Acclivus maintains intentional social ties in high-violence neighborhoods and serves as a trusted leader among those neighborhoods and a respected leader among the violence prevention community.

Acclivus positively transforms the often-negative narrative and outcomes of individuals and families in neighborhoods across the city -- Douglas, Fuller Park, Grand Boulevard, Greater Grand Crossing, Washington Park, Washington Heights, and West Pullman. 

Citizen: What are some of Acclivus’ programs?

Acclivus: Acclivus provides resources and support to assist at-risk Chicago residents – primarily from communities that are disproportionately impacted by compounding barriers to health and success:  

Our Street Outreach team works across seven, high-violence communities, serving as safe, relatable examples of people who created positive change in their lives and communities. 

Through partnerships with 6 hospitals/trauma centers, our Hospital Response team serves patients who have experienced violence – including shootings, stabbings and physical assaults. Understanding that the risk of retaliation or re-injury could immediately follow a violent incident, our team of hospital responders and case managers de-escalate dangerous situations by providing advocacy and offering alternatives for victims and loved ones during this critical timeframe.

Our Behavioral Health team works to decrease the negative views and stigmas surrounding mental health, while addressing residents’ needs for therapeutic services to build coping mechanisms and processing of traumatic events. Contact the therapy referral line at 708-887-8705.

Our Training, Workforce Development & Mentoring Assistance teams provide a range of services for our program participants, partnering organizations and our staff.

Training & Technical Assistance – includes 40 hours of onboarding that covers the core competencies of street outreach, case management and victim advocacy; and ongoing coaching for organization leaders covering the complexities of successful program operations, including capacity building, data management, fiscal responsibility and more.

Career/Workforce Development – prioritizes educational and professional mobility by providing mentorship and professional growth support designed to assist people in changing their life trajectory - from job readiness skills and Career Fairs to encouragement to pursue advance degrees (many from NEIU) and promotions.

Acclivus Sports – offers mentorship and health education through sports for public school students on the southside and in the south suburbs. Participants develop life skills and build character through workshops on conflict resolution, emotional management, etiquette and effective communications.

Partner Initiatives that we implement in partnership with state departments and city organizations.

Access to Justice – in partnership with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and the Westside Justice Center, this statewide program helps mitigate the devasting consequences of incarceration, eviction and family separation by assisting participants in navigating the legal system, obtaining rap sheets and starting the expungement process.

Peacekeepers/Flatlining Violence Inspires Peace (FLIP) – in partnership with IDHS and Reimagine Public Safety Act (RSPA), this program employs high-risk individuals from respective communities, trains them to utilize their credibility and community relationships to interrupt violence, mediate conflicts and de-escalate disagreements on intersections/streets with high rates of shootings/violence.

Citizen: How did LeVon Stone, Sr. go from violence interrupter to leading a community-based violence prevention organization?

Acclivus: Acclivus was informally founded by Dr. Joe Strickland in 2010 as a result of his career in criminal justice, social and policy reform; as well as his work to remove barriers to higher education for many young men with experience on both sides of the front line. Among those was LeVon Stone, Sr. who has firsthand, high-risk street life experiences, including being shot and paralyzed from the waist down and attempts to disrupt outbreaks of violence. Stone was introduced to formal street outreach in 2003 and served as a volunteer for CeaseFire. He was later hired full-time; then, ascended to hospital responder, hospital case manager, director for all Illinois hospital programs, and program director for all Chicago and operations. He worked hard to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and advocated across many sectors to build community and political support for violence prevention work.

When Acclivus reactivated in 2018, Stone was named chief executive officer. In this role, he leverages his street outreach experience and maintains strong connections with many levels of stakeholders across Chicago -- from the streets and homes to boardrooms and the capital -- to lead Acclivus in stopping the cycle of violence, deaths and retaliation in some of Chicago’s most dangerous communities.

Citizen: Why is an organization like Acclivus important when it comes to violence prevention?

Acclivus: By looking at violence through a public health lens, Acclivus understands that – like a disease – violence spreads and grows from one person or group to another and will continue to spread until the transmission is interrupted. Therefore, its grassroots network of individuals with strong community ties enables the organization to keep its fingers on the pulse of high-violence neighborhoods without compromising trust; leading to the successful de-escalation, mediation and prevention of violent incidents. Additionally, Acclivus’ hospital response team are leaders in providing support to de-escalate the risk of retaliations and re-injuries.

Acclivus doubles down on its investment in community resilience by training and supporting other community-based organizations. We also play a key role in strengthening the social safety net for vulnerable communities by providing hands-on training on violence prevention as well as fiscal/organizational capacity for emerging grassroots agencies.

Citizen: Where can people go to find out more about Acclivus?

Acclivus: Visit our website: acclivusinc.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn at Acclivus, Inc.


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