Community Violence Support

Each person reacts differently in a crisis and it is normal to experience a wide range of emotions. Some common reactions are:

• Shock, numbness, confusion: Comprehending the reality of the loss may be impossible: you may avoid full awareness of a reality too painful to absorb.
• Excessive vigilance: You are constantly watchful and on guard, as if you are expecting a sudden attack and do not want to be caught unaware.
• Increased reactivity: You are easily startled, others perceive you as "jumpy", you may lose your temper over relatively minor matters, or you may be unable to concentrate.
• Intrusive recollections: Distressing images, thoughts, and memories of your lost loved one or the traumatic events arise spontaneously and get in your way as you try to focus on daily tasks.
• Reliving the experience: You act or feel as if you are back in the time and place you were when you first learned of your loss.
• Anger, resentment: Rage toward those who committed these crimes is normal; however, you may find yourself taking out the anger on others, such as your friends, relatives, or strangers.
• Guilt: You may feel responsible for being unable to protect your loved one, or simply for having survived.
• Physical complaints: You may experience headaches, sleep and digestive disturbance, nausea, fatigue, and lowered immune function.
• Withdrawal, isolation, avoidance: You may feel reluctant to go out, or unable to participate in activities you used to enjoy; you may seek to avoid reminders of your loved one or of the events that led to your loss.
• Fear, anxiety, panic: You may feel that the world is no longer safe or predictable.
• Pessimism: You may have a sense of a foreshortened future; for example, you may not expect to have a full life span or to reach normal milestones such as graduation.
• Disorganized, distracted: You may be unable to perform routine activities, such as making out shopping lists or paying bills.
• Sudden temporary upsurges of grief: Suddenly you are overwhelmed by intense sorrow and anguish, even months or years after your loss, when there are "triggers" such as anniversaries, the scent of your loved one's cologne, hearing a particular song, etc.

The Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery (CVPR) provides free services to people who are victims of random acts of violence (non-familial), to people who are co-victims (significant others of a homicide victim or community members where a murder has occurred), and to people who are witnesses to violence.

There are a number of services available including:

• Provider consultation
• Emergency department services 24hrs/day offering medical care, and crisis counseling
• Crisis counseling and trauma focused therapy
• Homicide bereavement services
• Support Groups
• Victim advocacy and consultation
• Secondary traumatic stress consultation and groups for providers

All services are private, confidential, and free. Learn more about community resources and services.

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute (LDBPI): Louis D. Brown was a 15-year-old high school sophomore honor student and an aspiring community leader. In December 1993, while on his way to a “Teens Against Gang Violence” neighborhood meeting, his life was tragically cut short as he got caught in the middle of a fatal crossfire shootout near his home in Dorchester, MA. Louis’ parents, Joseph and Clementina (Tina) Chéry, co-founded the Peace Institute in 1994 in his name to honor his legacy and continue the peacemaking work he was leading. Its mission is to serve as a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss.

Grounded in racial justice and equity, the LDBPI and CVPR work together to strengthen communities, prevent violence and advocate for more compassionate and equitable health care, criminal justice, and societal responses to homicide. The partnership’s innovation stems from both organizations’ deep investment in reflective practices and intentional teamwork to meet the needs of survivors of homicide victims.

In the aftermath of a homicide, the partners work together to coordinate immediate crisis intervention and proactively address the immediate, complex, and long-term needs of survivors. The LDBPI guides survivors in decision-making, understanding their rights and options, making funeral arrangements, and navigating interactions with healthcare providers, medical examiners, law enforcement, and the media—while simultaneously attending to the shock, trauma, and grief of losing a loved one. On-site at the LDBPI’s offices in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, CVPR clinicians support the staff and survivors, participate in the team meetings, and provide counseling, healing circles, creative arts groups, and advocacy services.

Download the full report on our partnership.