Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday that The Wick Against Violence, a Bushwick-based violence prevention group whose outreach workers defuse disputes before they turn violent, will get $1.6 million to hire new mentors and staff.

The Wick’s outreach workers and violence interrupters, often called credible messengers, are trained neighborhood people with deep roots in the community who can build trust with the people most at risk. They step in to stop disputes before they turn violent, support residents after shootings to head off retaliation, and connect people to job training, mental health care, education and legal help. The group runs programs at Bushwick Houses, the public housing development, and works with Woodhull Hospital.

Mamdani tied the money to the April 1 killing of 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore, who News 12 reported was hit by a stray bullet in her stroller at Moore and Humboldt streets. “The Wick Against Violence will work to ensure that such a painful tragedy never occurs in Bushwick again,” he said.