Peace grows where we tend it.

Photos of our Community Safety Team having fun in the community.

Eddie was having a difficult day.

He was stumbling through the plaza, clearly intoxicated, and at one point nearly knocked over a table. It would have been easy for the situation to escalate, for someone to call the police, for Eddie to be pushed out, or for things to spiral further.

But that’s not what happened.

Instead, one of our Community Safety Unit members walked alongside Eddie. They gently guided him away from the chaos and stayed with him long enough for him to begin talking. And when he did, what came out wasn’t anger, it was grief.

Eddie shared that his son was no longer coming to live with him. He began to cry. What he wanted most, he said, was simple: a family.

In that moment, Eddie wasn’t just someone experiencing addiction or instability. He was a father, carrying loss, longing, and a deep desire for connection.

This is the possibility when we do the work of tending to peace every day. And our Peacebuilder Collective helps make this possible.

Because of this network:

• Moments of crisis are met with care instead of escalation

• People are seen and heard, not dismissed

• And trust begins to form—the first step toward real, lasting change

Eddie’s story is still unfolding. But it’s in moments like these, when someone chooses to stay, to listen, and to care, that transformation becomes possible.

It is exactly this kind of on-the-ground, compassionate response that inspires our next chapter. 

To sustain this vital work, we launched the Peacebuilder Collective–DC Peace Team's new monthly donor community dedicated to reducing harm, responding to conflict, and strengthening networks of care across the city. 

Monthly giving provides the predictable funding we need to plan trainings, respond quickly to conflict, and sustain long-term community relationships.

Help us meet our goal of 15 new members by June 2nd! Join here.

*All names were changed to protect community member identities.