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"We are bringing in more clergy and faith leaders in the community and congregations in order to help advocate (and) organize for more resources," McNeil said.

In the city of Stockton, Calif., gun violence was already notably on the rise in 2011 because of a series of compounding circumstances. First, there were cutbacks in law enforcement due to a city budget crisis. There were turf wars between gangs due to mass migration from the San Francisco Bay Area as a result of the rise in rent and a loss of affordable housing. Finally, there was a lack of community witnesses and crime reporting due to lack of trust in law enforcement officers. 

Community organizer Toni McNeil told FOX40 she supports the student-led protest. 

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“Bickering amongst individual trustees and board members, especially publicly, that’s not professional,” McNeil explained. “And it does not reflect the staff and it doesn’t reflect the students. That needs to be changed.”

The controversial anti-violence program is making a positive community impact, according to UC Berkeley study

Stockton police, community activists address issues, participate in live online broadcast

“Dangerous” communities are in fact communities that have experienced extraordinary historical and recent harm, reject violence and respect the law, and do most of the work of creating public safety. There is important work to do in replacing common misconceptions with a deeper understanding of and respect for what is real.