Residents in Miami ZIP codes long plagued by gun violence saw local homicide rates plummet between 2020 and 2024, and a new report says it’s due in large part to community-based violence prevention and victim service programs.
The analysis by Scaling Safety — a joint public safety effort by the Alliance for Safety and Justice and CBPS Collective nonprofits — found firearm-related homicides fell over that span by 83% in ZIP code 33147, which covers much of the Liberty City neighborhood, and 60% in ZIP code 33142, which largely spans Allapattah.
Gun killings in ZIP code 33147 dropped from 31 in 2020 to just five in 2024. That included a 72% decline between 2023 and 2024 alone.
In ZIP code 33142, firearm homicides declined from 20 in 2020 to eight last year.
ZIP codes 33147 and 33142 — along with ZIP code 33054, which covers the cities of Miami Gardens and Opa-locka — have historically had some of the highest homicide rates in Miami-Dade County.
In all of Miami-Dade, shooting-related homicides dropped 42% during the same stretch.
Researchers, including the report’s data scientist co-author, Anne Devan-Song, analyzed Miami-Dade Medical Examiner records to confirm the reductions were genuine and due to crime shifting to other areas.
Neighboring ZIP codes and nearby Broward County, for instance, saw no comparable increases in homicides.
Authors of the report, which was released Wednesday, also concluded that targeted investments in violence intervention, trauma recovery and victim advocacy alongside ongoing law enforcement efforts directly played into those results.
Community groups credited with helping drive the decline include the Circle of Brotherhood, Community Youth Against Violence, Multi-Ethnic Youth Group Association, Historic Hampton House, Healing and Justice Center, Survivors Helping Survivors Collaborative and the GATE Program for Juvenile Weapon Offenders.
Circle of Brotherhood’s “Peacemakers” conduct street outreach and mediate conflicts before they escalate. Miami-Dade County Anti-Violence and Group Violence initiatives, the Operation Safe Summer initiative now under the newly created county Sheriff’s office and Miami’s Group Violence Intervention Strategy were also cited, as were trauma recovery programs funded by the Attorney General’s Office.
“These historic drops represent one less funeral, one less grieving family member and more community safety,” Scaling Safety Miami Director Subhash Kateel said in a statement.
“This report demonstrates that when you invest in community-based violence prevention efforts where there is most harm and capacity for healing, the entire community becomes safer.”
The report warns, however, that these gains may be at risk. Much of the funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act and other federal grants that are now expiring. Without continued investment, the report’s authors cautioned, progress could stall or reverse.
ZIP code 33147 includes part of Liberty City and portions of the unincorporated Miami-Dade neighborhoods of Gladeview, Pinewood and West Little River.
ZIP code 33142, meanwhile, covers Allapattah, part of Liberty City and the unincorporated Brownsville neighborhood.
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