Basaime Spate

Background

About Basaime Spate

Basaime Spate is the Co-Director of the Street Action Network (SAN), a cutting-edge research initiative and program of the Center for Justice Innovation. With over 15 years of lived experience and high social capital, Spate offers his insights through lived experiences of the socio-cultural and systemic factors driving gun violence in urban communities. Spate has led groundbreaking research projects through the innovative model of Participatory Action Research (PAR). His work employs community-driven approaches to challenge stereotypes, dismantle stigma surrounding street culture, and amplify the voices of those most affected by systemic poverty, racism, and gun violence through inclusive and impactful research and data studies. His career began as an Outreach Worker and Violence Interrupter with Save Our Streets Crown Heights, New York City’s first Cure Violence program. For five years, he worked directly in neighborhoods to prevent shootings, mediate conflicts, and build trust with local communities. In 2017, Spate transitioned into the Center’s Research Department as Security of a Academic Research Team, then transitioned to a Research Associate, then Community Research Coordinator, where he pursued innovative, ethical, and inclusive approaches to community-driven research, advancing the Center’s education & mission to reduce and ultimately eliminate gun violence.