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Courtesy of John Dwane Ingham County Prosecutor
In his first year as Ingham County Prosecutor, John Dewane has worked to turn around gun violence in Lansing. Just two years ago, 14 homicides were recorded in Lansing by mid-May. This year there have only been two - a drop of 85% and a dozen fewer lives taken by the uniquely American tragedy of gun homicides. John Dewane's approach is grounded in 22 years of experience as a trial prosecutor - working with victims and their surviving families. "Unfortunately a majority of homicide victims are persons of color, especially Black Americans," said John Dewane. "I've seen this first-hand, working with victims to try to resolve these cases and bring about justice." "We know it makes a difference when illegal guns - and those who use them - are taken off the streets. The statistics back this up, but behind every one of those numbers there is someone's life." This past fall, Lansing and Ingham County began working with Advance Peace - a community-based violence prevention/interruption program. It's shown remarkable progress in just a few months. . John Dewane was appointed as Prosecutor by the Ingham County Circuit Court,. He is running as a Democratic candidate in the 2024 election. "We've got a major challenge ahead of us, because Ingham County's homicide rate jumped 50% in 6 years" said Dewane. "So far we have shown results, and we're hoping to sustain these and build a better future for our youth."