DC Peace Team

Ordinary people can build a world that cultivates peace and justice — and DCPT gives them some of the key tools. It strengthens the capacity of community members to address their own conflicts by training them in key nonviolent skills, from active bystander intervention and de-escalation to trauma awareness and restorative justice. Participants learn how to diffuse harmful behavior, use compassionate communication to better connect with others, and repair relationships. Additional training equips participants with the skills they need to join one of DCPT's Unarmed Civilian Protection units. They can then be deployed in violence-affected neighborhoods and alongside local grassroots groups during political demonstrations that threaten Black and Brown leaders, or even in uprisings like the January 6th insurrection. DCPT has trained over 8,500 individuals since it was founded — working together constructively as a community to reimagine safety and transform society.