Paterson group wants to bring violence prevention to schools
By Joe Malinconico
Paterson Press
PATERSON - Two men who survived being shot on the city's streets are among the members of a local nonprofit group that wants to bring its violence intervention program into local schools.
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Representatives of the Paterson Healing Collective told school officials that their own traumatic experiences would resonate with city students and help steer Paterson youth away from violence.
..... "I was once on the negative side of things. Now I'm on the positive side and trying to make a difference in my community," Isaiah Elam told the Paterson Board of Education during its October 8 [2025] meeting.
..... The group is offering its crisis intervention specialists and "trained survivors" to conduct one-hour workshops in assembly settings or small groups to give city students skills to resolve conflicts without violence, said Casey Melvin, the Healing Collective's field operations director.
..... Melvin said the group would like to provide its training in 10 schools for students in grades six through 12, with visits throughout the school year. He said the organization already has funding from the Passaic County youth Services Commission.
..... That means there would be no cost to the Paterson school district, said Liza Chowdhury, the Healing Collective's executive director.
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It's not clear whether Paterson Public Schools will take the Healing Collective up on its offer. Superintendent Laurie Newell made no comment after the group's presentation. Newell's communications office did not provide a response when Paterson Press asked where the superintendent stood on the offer.
School board members praise Healing collective's work
..... But several school board members on October 8 [2025] expressed praise for the Healing Collective's efforts.
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"When I see this sort of organization stepping up to the plate to make sure our kids are safe, I'm all in," said Board of Education President Eddie Gonzalez.
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Board member Valerie Freeman said she was "absolutely for this" program, and board member Della McCall said the Healing collective has been "a blessing to our community."
..... The Healing Collective conducted some programs in Paterson schools toward the end of former Superintendent Eileen Shafer's tenure. But the partnership ash not continued in the past tow years.
..... The Healing Collective, which has received several million dollars in funding from the state and federal government since 2020, focuses on sending its crisis intervention workers to St. Joseph's University Medical Center to make bedside visits to victims of gun and knife violence.
..... The purpose of those visits is two-fold: to connect the victims with services they will newed to get through their trauma and to discourage them from retaliating against whoever shot or stabbed them.
Rival gangs in prolonged battle
..... Melvin told the school board that gunshot survivors like Elam and Javis Porter "have transformed their lives and now work for peace."
..... Elam said he comes for "the Towers," the high-rise apartment building along Presidential Boulevard near the Passaic River. Porter told school, officials he is from North Main Street, which is aoubt a block away from the Towers.
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"My neighorhood has issues with Isaiah's neighborhood,: Porter said to the school officials.
..... Federal law enforcement authorities say the "100k" gang from North Main and the "Blockboyz" from the Towers have been engaged in a prolonged battle resulting in killings, shootings and robberies.
..... Porter told the Board of Education that he and Elam work together to try to prevent problems form escalating to violence.
..... "So if one of his young guys has a problem with one of my young guys, we coordinate every day to fix it," Porter said.