Lawyers, Legal Professionals, Advocacy Organizations & Community Stakeholders From Across the Country Come Together to Formally Launch the Community Violence Legal Network
New National Network of Lawyers Launches Amidst Ongoing Threats to Public Safety During Trump Administration
Contact: Drew Hammill
Washington, D.C. – After 18 months of planning and outreach, a new network of lawyers, legal professionals, advocacy organizations and community stakeholders committed to supporting survivors of gun violence and the community violence intervention field have joined together to formally launch the Community Violence Legal Network (CVLN). As a women-led initiative grounded in racial and social equity, CVLN provides legal strategy, coordination and technical support in high-stakes legal environments around violence prevention in communities of color. CVLN is the nation’s largest legal network dedicated to ending gun violence and expanding legal access for community violence intervention professionals and survivors of color.
“The heart of our democracy lies in the promise of peace, security and freedom for everyone. In this critical moment, as we come together to fight very real threats to our democracy, we must double down on efforts to protect the people that comprise our democracy from the ever-present threat of gun violence,” said founders Amber Goodwin and Robyn Thomas. “The Community Violence Legal Network represents an exciting and highly impactful new chapter in our work to support individuals, and black and brown communities directly impacted by gun violence who have been traditionally left out of the legal system. This project will contribute to the basic prerequisites and protections of a strong democracy – safe and thriving communities.”
CVLN is committed to supporting survivors of gun violence and the community violence intervention field. In May 2025, CVLN supported a lawsuit led by Democracy Forward and other community violence intervention organizations seeking to block the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice from unlawfully terminating more than $100 million in community violence intervention funding and $820 million to other DOJ-funded nonprofits working to keep communities safe. Tomorrow, on June 26th, the first hearing on the lawsuit will take place in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“Community violence intervention programs are essential to addressing the urgent public safety needs in communities of color,” said Mr. Zoe Kennedy, a plaintiff in the class action lawsuit against the Department of Justice. “CVLN has been instrumental in helping us understand our rights, navigate this legal process and stand up to protect the critical work we do. Their support ensures our voices are heard and that we have the legal tools to keep fighting for our communities.”
With the launch of the Community Violence Legal Network, the organization is also announcing the formation of a $1 million legal fund dedicated to advancing legal support for community violence intervention workers, survivors of gun violence and legal professionals from directly impacted communities. This fund marks a historic investment in making litigation strategy a core part of the community violence intervention and gun violence prevention ecosystem – an area that has been long overlooked and under-resourced.
This new fund is designed to close longstanding gaps in access to legal power, ensuring that those most affected by violence are no longer excluded from the legal strategies that shape policy, accountability and justice. Part of the initial funding has already gone to the following projects:
Funding legal support for plaintiffs and appeals in the DOJ class action lawsuit and other lawsuits against the federal, state and local government to support community violence intervention funding, contracts and constitutional rights.
Running legal training sessions in cities like Miami and Austin with over a dozen more planned in jurisdictions across the country.
Preparing and launching affirmative litigation to challenge laws that impact community violence intervention programs.
“In too many courtrooms, our people face a system that doesn’t see their humanity,” said Dr. Erica Ford, activist and author known as the Peace Doctor. “CVLN stands as a shield and a sword – defending justice, educating our community and fighting with integrity to dismantle the disparities that keep us bound. We are not just changing the laws – we are changing the lives behind the headlines.”
CVLN also announced that key leaders from the community violence intervention and survivor fields will serve as advisors to the organization’s work and alongside law clerks who will help to build out the next generation of violence prevention lawyers.
“The formal launch of CVLN comes as we mark three years since enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, the first time in 30 years we’ve been able to pass meaningful progress against gun violence in decades,” said Gregory Jackson, Jr., former Deputy Director, White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. “As we reflect on this progress and the battles that lie ahead, we know that CVLN will play a key role in how we address the scourge of gun violence in black and brown communities and provide the legal framework to help get the job done.”
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