INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett introduced a new member of his administration Wednesday hired to help the city fight back against the tide of violence.
Shonna Majors is the city’s first director of community violence reduction. She will be tasked with acting as a liaison between community groups, police and the Indy Peacemakers – a group of local activists who the mayor hopes can use their ties to their neighborhoods, and their own criminal histories, to help build community-police rapport.
Majors, who holds a degree in criminology from Indiana State University, is a native of the east side of Indianapolis and a Pike High School graduate. At her announcement Wednesday, Majors said she herself was a victim of gun violence when she was shot at 16. She still carries the bullet inside her body near her spine, she said.
.@IndyMayorJoe announcing Shonna Majors as the city's first director of community violence reduction near the spot where 1 y/o Malaysia Robson was killed. pic.twitter.com/Mp6B3uO3yv
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) June 6, 2018
Hogsett: "If the responsibly of this director is to be a bridge between our neighbors and law enforcement, there is no better person for this position."
— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan_RTV6) June 6, 2018
In addition to her work with the Peacemakers, Majors will oversee an additional $1 million in violence-prevention grants over the next three years. Majors says she wants those grants to focus on mental health, substance abuse, housing and job placement.
“We have to see what fits our city,” Majors said. “We’re not a one-size-fits-all nation. It’s going to be important to hone in on what is going to work here for us.”
Majors has previously worked as a management analyst for the U.S. Department of Labor and the director of employment and transitional services for Public Advocates of Community Re-Entry (PACE) Inc. in Indianapolis. She has most recently been employed as the human resources manager for CoreCivic, formerly Corrections Corporation of America, which runs Marion County Jail II.
Hogsett also used Wednesday’s announcement to call for applications for the upcoming round of violence-prevention grants. Applications will be accepted until July 6, with awards being announced in mid-July. To apply, visit www.ophs.indy.gov.
