Chicago City Wire

Former gubernatorial candidate Tio Hardiman is leading the charge for Violence Interrupters NFP, a civic group with volunteers who break up violent situations as they arise. 

Hardiman said there are between 50 and 100 Violence Interrupters NFP active in Chicago right now. 

“You know, we're not the police, we're not vigilantes,” Hardiman told Chicago’s Morning Answer. “We want to help deter crime…Two young guys, one guy came up to me and gave me his switchblade, another guy gave me a butcher’s knife…we try to help them, to the best of our ability, to help deter potential crime…His plan was to rob somebody that night.” 

The public is apprehensive of crimes according to Hardiman.

“A lot of passengers are really scared," he said. "They have to go to work, what else can they do? Women are being robbed, assaulted, you don't even hear about the stories, purses being snatched, and all those types of crimes. Yeah, you know a lot of the officials will say that they're doing a good job…put it like this: they just hired a K-9 unit, $30 million, $56,000 a day, and we still have issues on the train. It doesn't make no sense.”

Hardiman's remarks coincide with the premiere of an advertisement by the People Who Play By The Rules PAC, run by Chicago Morning Answer presenter Dan Proft, which highlights the city's out-of-control public crime. The footage was captured on the CTA Red Line in Chicago on Sept. 24, according to the opening of the advertisement.  A seated man is robbed and beaten by two men in the advertisement. One of the attackers punches the man while brandishing a wine bottle. A passenger recording the incident repeatedly yells "Oh my God," while one of the attackers smacks the man with a wine bottle during the altercation, Chicago City Wire reported. 

Hardiman came in a distant fourth in the 2018 Democrat primary. He secured 1.6% of the vote with 21,075 votes, according to Ballotpedia records.

Hardiman hosts a radio show under the nickname “Mr. Ceasefire” on Sundays on WVON Radio 1690 AM. 

According to its website, Violence Interrupters NFP focuses on high-level gang mediation and stopping retaliations. It further noted that "Having overcome the challenges and stigma of reentering society and the workforce, these individuals are uniquely skilled and suited as role models and support systems for other ex-offenders and high-risk young men. Due to the nature of their work, Violence Interrupters are generally individuals with past positions of leadership in gangs who now use their influence to prevent retaliations and create peace between gangs.”  

The group said that it is “largely identified by key stakeholders in the targeted community who have a history in the target community or have removed themselves from criminal activity and gang participation." The most significant qualifications to join Violence Interrupters are having a "previous experience working with high-risk young men and gang members, excellent communication skills, effective mediation skills, and crisis intervention skills. Hiring decisions are made by the Hiring Panel."