The Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) sponsored a workshop on March 5 at Southern University and A&M College (SUBR) in Baton Rouge, La., addressing targeted violence and terrorism prevention (TVTP). Participation was part of its ongoing effort to encourage historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to engage in violence prevention work. The program included information on the university’s fiscal year 2022 TVTP Grant Program, along with a presentation by CP3 Regional Prevention Coordinator Emery Nauden, and information about the TVTP Grant Program shared virtually by Grants Manager Jerhvon Pearman.
Southern University and A&M College is a publicly funded, historically Black, land-grant university that received a TVTP Grant from CP3 in fiscal year 2022. The grant administrators are using the funding to:
- Create a TVTP team to develop a prevention framework;
- Conduct training for campus police and essential organizations on pre-incident indicators, and the process of radicalization to targeted violence and terrorism;
- Conduct training for students to increase knowledge of pre-incident indicators and radicalization to violence.
HBCUs have been the victims of targeted violence over the past few years, including several bomb scares in January and February 2022 that led to evacuations, class cancellations, and police investigations. SUBR was one of the schools affected. Following the incidents, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a statement in August 2022 emphasizing the Department’s commitment to HBCUs, community safety, and its partnership-based approach to campus security.