The Chicago Police Department’s monthly crime statistics for November show a continued decline in shootings, murders and homicides, among other violent crimes, with an overall drop of 18% month-to-date and 5% compared to last year.

So-called violence interrupters are part of the reason there’s been this steady dip. One local group, One City Basketball League, encourages young men and boys to build inter-community relationships as they pair basketball with programming to help them create a future that’s not defined by violence. Participants learn about financial literacy, trauma-informed conflict resolution and career readiness all while they get paid to participate in the program.

“My job was to mediate conflicts that lead to violence, to stop the shooting and killing and change folks’ mindsets and behavior,” said Cobe Williams, a national violence interrupter and author of “Interrupting Violence: One Man’s Journey to Heal the Streets and Redeem Himself.”

Williams co-founded the organization alongside former Chicago Bulls player Joakim Noah, who  reached out to Williams after he saw a documentary featuring the Chicago native and felt called to do the same kind of work using a tool he knows well — basketball.

“Sports is the ultimate unifier and we’re able to hook the kids in (through) basketball but obviously this league is about uniting the kids,” Noah said. “This is about so much more than just winning and losing a game, it’s about bringing people together.”

Twenty-eight violence prevention organizations work in the league that caters to boys and men aged 16 to 26 throughout the city’s South and West sides.

Williams said he witnessed violence on an almost daily basis as a young person, which is why he’s able to connect with the youth he mentors.

“What we’re doing is showing them that just because you have a disagreement, you don’t have to lead to violence,” Williams said.

One City Basketball League kicks off its finals this weekend.