MADISON, Wis. — According to the Madison Police Department, in 2020, there were 250 shootings in Madison.

That’s more than in 2018 and 2019 combined. Although there were fewer in 2021, Madison community members say it’s an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed.  

It impacts people of all ages and races, yet according to the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, gun violence disproportionately impacts communities of color.

Anthony Cooper Sr. heads to Inspire Barber & Beauty Salon at East Town Mall about three times a week. 

He’s not there to get his beard trimmed. He said he’s there for a much bigger purpose. 

“There is a lot of violence happening on the east side of Madison but a lot of violence is happening all over Madison, so it’s why the word needs to spread all over Madison,” Cooper Sr. said. 

He is the CEO and President of Focused Interruption, Madison’s only nonprofit focused on implementing solutions to end gun violence.

 Inspire Barber & Beauty Salon is one of many places that Cooper connects with to help lift his community.

“The Black barbershop as a whole has many many ways different ways to spread not only the good news through our community but also to be able to talk about what is hope,” said Cooper.

Hope is what happens when nonprofits and community partners like barbershop owner Brian Britt work together to provide resources and opportunities for communities of color.

“When you have nothing to live for or nothing to lose, they don’t mind taking the responsibility of harming or killing someone else, but on the other hand, they don’t look at it as that’s someone else’s son,” Britt said.

As a kid that went through the system himself, Britt now lives to help others.

“I don’t want my siblings to go through the system the way I went through,” Britt said. “I want the barbershop to be that resource for people.”

Inspire Barber and Beauty Shop isn’t just providing job leads, housing and other opportunities for men; it’s helping women too.

“It’s a sense of positivity within my mental health. It’s self-care for me,” Tony Harris said. “I like the fact I can come in and network with others within the community.”

“To truly stop the violence, it takes an entire community working together. It’s something we have to make sure we are talking about regularly,” said Cooper.

According to Focused Interruption, more than half of Madison’s gun crime victims are Black. While making up 7% of Madison’s population, Black people were 55% of the victims of gun assaults resulting in injury or death over the last five years. Black community members are also 19 times more likely than those who are white to become victims of firearms.

For more information and to find out about resources available.

To read more on Dane County’s road map to reduce violence, visit https://www.publichealthmdc.com/documents/2021_violence_prevention_report.pdf.