To fight the scourge of crime and violence, we’ve got to know what works

The exterior of Enlace Chicago, located on the 2700 block of South Harding Ave, in 2015. Enlace Chicago was among the four dozen community-based organizations. that received grants from the state’s Office of Firearm Violence Prevention last month. (Sun-Times Files)

To say that Chicago needs effective violence prevention is an understatement.

At least five people were killed and 61 others were wounded in shootings this past weekend. Then on Monday, a commuter on the CTA’s Red Line train pulled a knife to defend himself against seven would-be robbers, killing a 15-year-old youth who police say had a gun. It was the second time in three days that a Red Line rider used a knife to fend off a large group.