At a recent Chicago Fellowship gathering, Together Chicago co-founder David Dillon interviewed three leaders of our Violence Reduction team: LaVonas Troup, Charles King, and Laprentiss Flowers. Each of them once belonged to rival gangs, even facing one another as enemies on the street. Today, they serve together as brothers, united in the mission to bring peace and reconciliation to Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Their stories illustrate both the depth of the challenges we face and the possibility of transformation. As LaVonas explained, the work of outreach is about helping people “get a different outlook on life, different mindset, different visualization”, offering an alternative to the generational patterns of violence that too often define neighborhood boundaries.
Yet this work does not rest on the shoulders of only a few. Across Chicago, many organizations and outreach workers are faithfully engaged in violence reduction. Every day, men and women serve as credible messengers, building trust, mediating conflicts, and helping young people find new pathways for their lives. Together Chicago is one piece of a much larger network of partners committed to the safety and flourishing of our city.
The presence of LaVonas, Charles, Laprentiss, and others on our team is a reminder that reconciliation is possible, even across old divides. But more importantly, their work reflects the collective effort of hundreds of outreach workers citywide who embody hope on the frontlines. Violence reduction in Chicago is not the mission of one organization, but a movement. One that requires persistence, collaboration, and faith in what is possible when neighbors come together for peace.
Listen to the full interview here.
Watch LaVonas Troup’s testimony here.
