About Community Violence
Community Violence can be a wide variety of interpersonal violent acts including homicide, youth violence, bullying, and workplace assaults. Individuals may be exposed to community violence directly (being a victim of violence), or by knowing someone who has experienced violence, or by witnessing violence.
Although community violence disproportionately affects young men of color, anyone can experience or witness community violence.
Common Reactions
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.
Get Help for Community Violence
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.
