Community violence intervention relies on concerned individuals willing to serve as peacemakers within their communities. They work tirelessly to prevent violence by engaging those at highest risk of using or being injured by a gun to alter the trajectory of their lives and curb the spread of violence. In this series, we hope to highlight the invaluable contributions of CVI workers and foster a deeper understanding of CVI from the perspective of the frontlines.  

This quarter, we are celebrating Larry Suazo as our Champion for Peace. Larry is the team lead for Life-Line Colorado’s Urban Impact Team, where he serves youth in the Denver community. Life-Line Colorado provides essential services such as counseling, mentoring, life skills, job training, resource referrals, and more to reduce youth violence and support reentry. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Team Lead, Life-Line Colorado’s Urban Impact Team | Denver, Colorado

What keeps me motivated is that there’s always something to do. There’s always somebody to help or speak to. The work is never done. If you’re at the end of the day, and you feel like you’ve done all your work, then go pack some lunches for the homeless. You have to stay motivated. You have to stay pumping. You have to be up and ready to go at all times.

If you’re passionate about this work, it’s as easy as getting up and brushing your teeth. It’s just part of your life, part of what you do. There’s always stuff to do, and that’s a good thing to have.


What is the hardest part of your job?

I think that our biggest challenge with this age group is all the things we have to navigate and work out—reaching out to them, keeping them on a consistent pattern their whole lives, the influence of the folks around them.  We have to let them know some of the ways we grew up aren’t good, aren’t smart, and most people don’t grow up with these ways. 

For example, one of the biggest ones I get from kids is, “Oh if somebody disrespects me, I’m gonna disrespect them back.” I’m trying to tell them that the principal is not disrespecting you, she’s just trying to correct a child—she cares. Some of the stuff that these kids learn throughout life was ingrained in them growing up—they have a family gang history and things like that. We need to show them what a different way of thinking gets you. 

The thing I get frustrated with is people not seeing in themselves how great they are. I’m trying to let them know how good they are and how great they can be—it gets a little frustrating if they can’t see it. It’s like, “Oh, my God! You can do so much with yourself if you just lock in.”

Sometimes people don’t understand that about themselves, and they don’t see it. They need you to mirror it back to them and show them exactly what they can do—and I’ve needed that in this work at times too. I have had some of my coworkers speak about some of the things I’ve done, and I’m like, “Oh, my god, you’re talking about me?” I think that’s something we all need sometimes, someone to look at us and see that we are great. 

It’s  frustrating when you’re trying to prove that to somebody, and they’re fighting against you. It’s like, “Oh, my God! Just look at you, you are good!” But they’re in the grit of it and they can’t see it.  That’s the frustrating part for me.

There’s no cheat code to reaching these kids, it’s different people and different issues and you have to deal with individuals on a case-by-case basis. If you think something worked for someone. it’s okay to try that, but the result could be completely on the opposite end of the spectrum. One of the main phrases around here is, “Don’t get comfortable!” The second you think you have things all set up and figured out—wait until next week. You just have to work it and put your heart into it. You have to push forward and keep pushing.

Can you share a story, or a particular incident, or a time where you felt like you could really see the impact of your work or your team’s work in your community?

The time that comes to mind immediately is actually the first time I went out with the violence interruption team. 

There was a kid who got shot, and there were no parents at home. The police were there and they wanted to start searching the house, but the person was shot outside in the street, and there were only his little sisters and brothers inside. To see my team in the grit of the work and be like, “Hold on! You can’t violate their rights. Let’s do everything right, everything by the book, so that everybody is safe here.” 

Seeing them protect and support, especially in this chaotic situation, was an eye-opener. The work they do, the steps they take, how they work with all the different professionals on the scene to make sure these kids are going to come out of this fine and change—it was amazing to watch. It made me feel like I have to try as hard as I can every day to keep up and be an asset on this team. It made me proud to see the way they work, proud to be on a team that protects people, protects people’s rights—and tries to interrupt violence. 

Growing up, we didn’t have that. We didn’t have a violence interruption team or a safe spot we could go to in the neighborhood and just chill. It makes me proud to be a part of this, to actually feel like I’m part of changing things.

Thank you, Larry Suazo and the team at Life-Line Colorado. We look forward to bringing you more conversations with other dedicated peacemakers.