The Department of African American Studies recognizes Dr. Joseph Richardson, MPower & Joel & Kim Feller Professor for African American Studies and Anthropology, who was briefly featured in The Baltimore Banner to discuss the validity and effectiveness of Safe Streets.

According to the City of Baltimore, "Since 2007, Safe Streets has been Baltimore’s flagship gun violence reduction program. Founded in 2000 by epidemiologist Dr. Gary Slutkin, Cure Violence is a public health approach that uses trusted messengers in the community to interrupt the transmission of violence. Violence interrupters spread anti-violence messages and encourage positive changes in individual behavior as well as community norms around violence. In 2007, the Cure Violence model pioneered in Chicago came to McElderry Park in East Baltimore." As a Gun Violence Interventionist, Richardson studies the impact of gun violence in communities, specifically mental health on Black men and families.