LiveFree OKC, led by Jabee, aims to address root causes of the cycle of gun violence

Jessie Christopher Smith, Oklahoman
Updated ·7 min read
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Community organizers in northeast Oklahoma City are launching the state's first community violence intervention program Thursday aimed at addressing the root causes of trauma and the cycle of gun violence.

The nonprofit, LiveFree OKC, is a local offshoot of the nationwide LiveFree USA, an organization whose goal is to end gun violence and mass incarceration using advocacy, education and direct action. Jabee Williams, the well-known rapper and activist from northeast Oklahoma City, is the executive director of the new program.

The program's goals affect Jabee on a personal level, as he grew up losing a younger brother and other family members and friends to gun violence. The traumatizing effects of those senseless losses linger in his life, and he said he wants to avoid seeing such issues replicate for the next generation.

"That’s the reason this work is so important, and that’s the reason I have so much passion for this — it’s because I’ve gone through it," Jabee said. "And if I can prevent others from dealing with that same type of trauma, as a member of my community it’s important that I do that."

Jabee Williams, executive director, is pictured at LiveFree in northeast Oklahoma City.
Jabee Williams, executive director, is pictured at LiveFree in northeast Oklahoma City.

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OKC organizers say violence intervention a 'matter of public health'

Jabee and other LiveFree OKC organizers hope the state's first program of this kind can drastically reduce violence by approaching the issue "as a matter of public health," using evidence-based and data-driven services to improve outcomes in the community.

“Being able to equip people from the community with the resources and the knowledge on how to prevent and intervene and end gun violence in their neighborhoods and their communities — it’s huge,” Jabee said.

“And there are so many people in our community that already do it, having these conversations, having these meetings, and doing that kind of work already," he said. "What we’re doing is, we’re equipping those people with the right resources and knowledge and education to do it full-time.”

Jeanettea Traylor, LifeCoach, talks with PeaceMakers, Brandon Banks, right, and Ka'Shez Coursey at LiveFree in northeast Oklahoma City.
Jeanettea Traylor, LifeCoach, talks with PeaceMakers, Brandon Banks, right, and Ka'Shez Coursey at LiveFree in northeast Oklahoma City.

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Staff at LiveFree OKC say their mission is to reduce violence by "interrupting" cycles of harm and retaliation. The nonprofit's Peace Team — including at least two "PeaceMakers" who are trained in violence intervention and a life coach — will introduce local residents to mental and public health resources through constructive dialogues meant to peacefully resolve violent circumstances.

Pastor Mike McBride, executive director for the nationwide LiveFree USA organization, said community violence intervention programs have produced results in other major cities throughout the country.

“Too often, the resourcing and professional development in the community safety apparatus largely goes to just jails, prison and more police, and we don’t invest in the public health or community partnerships that actually allow us to create peace,” McBride said.

Instead, McBride said, the programs focus on creating peace, which is different from stopping violence.

“So we ask, How do you want to create the conditions where peace can flourish and not just invest in the tools and the systems that are just about stopping violence?" McBride said. "Those frameworks are often very punitive, and so we are excited to instead bring these strategies and this ecosystem, this body of learning from experts across the country, to the Oklahoma City community.”

Following the blueprint of LiveFree USA, the Oklahoma City nonprofit's "logic model" attempts to identify people at high risk of violent confrontations, which would then allow trusted community members to intervene. The group would then provide case management and wraparound services to high-risk individuals and help establish patterns and routines for healthier decision-making.

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Jeanettea Traylor, LifeCoach, talks with PeaceMakers, Brandon Banks, right, Ka'Shez Coursey and Jabee Williams, executive director, at LiveFree in northeast Oklahoma City.
Jeanettea Traylor, LifeCoach, talks with PeaceMakers, Brandon Banks, right, Ka'Shez Coursey and Jabee Williams, executive director, at LiveFree in northeast Oklahoma City.

LiveFree's first-year goal is to reduce gun violence by 20% in Ward 7

LiveFree OKC staff said the community violence intervention program is a pilot for northeast Oklahoma City, which, if successful, could spread throughout the other wards as a citywide endeavor. Their first-year goal is to achieve a 20% reduction in gun violence, including deaths and injuries, in Ward 7.

“We like to throw these expected reductions out there so that we can hold ourselves accountable for a result,” McBride said. “We don’t feel like we have to hope on a wing and a prayer that violence will reduce with these strategies. We know that with the right partnerships, the right investments, and the right expertise (...), we know that peace can emerge when we get enough momentum.”

The Rev. Mike McBride, The Way Church, says a prayer as Jabee Williams and Jess Eddy and other supporters lock arms. Julius Jones supporters stand vigil in November 2021 outside Gov. Kevin Stitt's office at the Oklahoma Capitol.
The Rev. Mike McBride, The Way Church, says a prayer as Jabee Williams and Jess Eddy and other supporters lock arms. Julius Jones supporters stand vigil in November 2021 outside Gov. Kevin Stitt's office at the Oklahoma Capitol.

McBride said, in the past two years, LiveFree USA has held productive meetings with the Oklahoma City mayor’s office, city management, local prosecutors and the police department, all of whom have voiced optimism about the initiative.

“I have found, across the country, that the hardest support for this is usually political support,” McBride said. “But then to come into the city and have lots of that already aligned, it really makes me think that this has a lot of ingredients for success.”

Jabee said the violence intervention program also can help to address the corrosive legacy of mass incarceration in Oklahoma City's Black community, whose members are still fighting stereotypes and misperceptions of "tough on crime" policies that have disproportionately affected their youth.

"For the most part, there’s a big group of people who hear about or see gun violence on TV and think that they’re just people out here shooting and killing, and that we need to just lock them all up, like that’s going to fix the problem," Jabee said. "But the reality is, we’re locking them up, and it’s still happening. And so, I think for us, it also is showing there are other alternatives."

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When will LiveFree OKC launch?

Headquartered at 1736 NE 23, LiveFree OKC will launch with a series of events in Ward 7.

First, the nonprofit will host a 10 a.m. news conference announcing the program Thursday, with planned speakers to include Jabee, McBride and Ward 7 City Councilwoman Nikki Nice.

After Thursday morning's initial conference, the organization will then hold its inaugural board meeting, with stakeholder sessions to follow through Friday.

And from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, the nonprofit is planning to host the first Peace Expo at EastPoint, where more than a dozen local partner agencies and organizations will gather in the development's Breezeway offering services and resources to the community.

Jabee Williams talks with PeaceMakers, Brandon Banks, left, and Ka'Shez Coursey, on Monday at LiveFree in northeast Oklahoma City.
Jabee Williams talks with PeaceMakers, Brandon Banks, left, and Ka'Shez Coursey, on Monday at LiveFree in northeast Oklahoma City.

"I think we’ll be able to really explain and introduce the program and explain how it works to people who might be curious or might have questions," Jabee said. "I think there’s a misconception that what this work means is, we’re just jumping in front of two people who are about to shoot each other, but that’s not how it works."

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Organizer and rapper Jabee Williams speaks during a Juneteenth on the East Black Creativity Panel at Skydance Brewery in Oklahoma City.
Organizer and rapper Jabee Williams speaks during a Juneteenth on the East Black Creativity Panel at Skydance Brewery in Oklahoma City.

Who is involved with LiveFree OKC?

LiveFree OKC's board of directors includes multiple civic leaders from across the metro, namely:

Apart from Jabee, LiveFree OKC's Peace Team also will include:

  • Brandon Banks, PeaceMaker

  • Ka'Shez Coursey, PeaceMaker

  • Jess Eddy, director of operations

  • Jeanettea Traylor, LifeCoach

  • Dr. Seleena Smith, program consultant

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly conveyed LiveFree OKC's connection to city police recommendations. The organization was created separately of Oklahoma City Police Department initiatives. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Jabee, other activists want to address cycle of gun violence in OKC