The root causes of violence in the U.S. are intricate, tangled, and deeply embedded in our society and its history. Despite that, our nation’s approach to violence and crime has always been simple and wrong: We placed public safety solely in the hands of law enforcement and its many levels, with a primary focus on punishing those who have caused harm. But that is changing. Public safety ecosystems are taking shape across the nation.

An ecosystem, by definition, is a complex arrangement of interdependent parts. It is also constantly evolving, changing, reacting to different conditions. An ecosystem does not just appear. Distinct roots find fertile ground and must be nurtured.

A community-centered public safety ecosystem succeeds because the community commits to that nurturing. It takes ownership of safety and brings real solutions to the problems, because community members know what they need to build the holistic well-being that creates real safety.

Watch: What we can learn from Newark and redefining public safety

There was a time not so long ago when Newark, like many other cities, was plagued with extraordinary violence, deep-seated poverty, and ailing social systems.

To look at Newark today is to see a city in resurgence, lifted by its proud, resilient people. At the heart of this evolution is a fierce hunger for safety — a safety defined by thriving neighborhoods and not just the absence of violence. Leaders across the nation, and the media, have noticed the trajectory, but the stories about Newark are almost always about one or two aspects of the work. In fact, what has happened in Newark — especially over the last eight years — is much more significant.

Newark has capitalized on having a leader — Mayor Ras J. Baraka — who brought into office a vision for public safety that centered community and that recognized the role that healing would play for residents. The community has embraced that vision.

Newark’s public safety ecosystem is not a finished project. We believe it is special — and that it could represent something of a blueprint for other cities invested in their communities and open to the idea that those communities might best understand the solutions to violence that threaten their collective well-being. But we know that Newark’s ecosystem can improve and encompass more of the community’s needs. As much as this document might be a blueprint, it is also a promise to continue striving for better solutions and stronger peace.

While this documentation was led by three key actors in the ecosystem, the project wouldn’t be possible without the diligence and commitment of the hundreds of leaders, organizations, and residents committed to building peace in the city.