Rep. Summer Lee Joins CBC Members and Black Mayors to Champion Community-Driven Public Safety Solutions

VIDEO

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 31, 2026 - Yesterday, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) joined members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Black mayors, and public safety advocates for a virtual roundtable highlighting the community-driven strategies helping cities across the country reduce violence and make families safer.

Hosted by the Vera Institute of Justice, the conversation featured Congresswoman Lee (PA-12), Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, and Durham Mayor Leonardo "Leo" Williams. Vera Institute President Insha Rahman moderated the discussion.

Participants discussed how investments in housing, education, healthcare, economic opportunity, violence prevention, trauma recovery, and other community resources are helping drive crime rates down across the country. They also warned against the Trump administration's efforts to cut effective public safety programs while returning to failed policies that criminalize Black communities and use fear to justify federal overreach.

"Communities in Western Pennsylvania and across the country are seeing declines in crime because leaders are investing in the resources that help people thrive--safe housing, good schools, accessible healthcare, living-wage jobs, and community-led violence prevention," said Congresswoman Lee. "Instead of doubling down on failed policies that criminalize our communities, we should be scaling the solutions that make families safer and stronger. I'm proud to stand with the Congressional Black Caucus, local leaders, and advocates who are advancing a vision of public safety rooted in dignity, opportunity, and justice."

"While Trump focuses on "tough on crime" fear-mongering and counter-productive gimmicks like deploying the National Guard, Black Mayors across the country are doing the real work to make cities safer. I'm proud to stand with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to set the record straight and advocate for real public safety solutions," said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.  

"In Baltimore, we know how to solve the issue of public safety," said Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "It's about investing in public health, it's about getting rid of vacant houses and providing opportunities. It's about being focused on the very small percent who are responsible for the overwhelming amount of violence in our communities-going after guns and getting them off our streets. We are currently seeing a historic reduction in violence and homicides, and we want to push it even further. You don't do that without the support of the community."

"Our approach in Newark is to treat crime and violence as a public health issue," said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka. "And what we see now in our city - with a homicide rate that hasn't been this low since Eisenhower was president - is the result of us focusing on the kind of things that have been absent from our neighborhoods:  investing in housing, investing in our young people, literacy, education, recreation and opportunity.  When you start to add that, and at the same time address some of the symptomatic issues and build a community-based public safety ecosystem centered on violence prevention and trauma recovery, you'll see that violence and crime gets reduce gradually. It's all about putting the 'public' back into 'public safety.'"

"Crime rates continue to fall across the country to historic levels thanks to bold, community-first approaches to public safety like the ones discussed today. While the Trump administration continues its assault on immigrants and cities, while simultaneously gutting programs that we know increase safety, local and federal leaders-specifically Black leaders like Rep. Summer Lee, Rep. Shontel Brown, and Mayors Scott, Baraka and Williams are charting a path forward for all to follow. Their serious approach to safety is a model for how we can prevent crime before it happens and continue to help communities thrive," said Vera President Insha Rahman. 

Congresswoman Lee is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Community Safety Caucus, where she works to advance proven, community-led solutions that prevent violence and address its root causes. She has fought to protect federal funding for community violence intervention programs and expand access to trauma-informed services. Through legislation including the People's Response Act, Lee is working to build a public safety system that prevents harm, supports survivors, and gives every community the resources it needs to not only survive, but to thrive.

The full conversation and Q&A can be viewed HERE.

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Judiciary and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania's infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 4,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.