Tio Hardiman Claims Exclusive Right To 'Violence Interrupter' Name

WAUKEGAN, IL — The Lake County Gun Violence Prevention Initiative is an ambitious program funded by government grants and run out of the county prosecutor's office aimed at reducing shootings and retaliation by engaging community members in a cooperative effort.

Tio Hardiman, the founder of the not-for-profit group Violence Interrupters, this week accused the Lake County State's Attorney's Office of infringing on his trademark.

In a cease-and-desist letter he delivered to the state's attorney's office on Monday, Hardiman said he has the "exclusive right" to use the "Violence Interrupters" brand name.

"The reality is that they used my patent to raise money. That's not right," Hardiman told Patch.

The Lake County Gun Violence Prevention Initiative, or GVPI, first secured funding in 2021 and by the following year had received more than $1 million through a state grant and federal coronavirus funding, as Patch previously reported.

"They raised the money on the name of violence interrupters, that's where the problems come in at," Hardiman said. He told Patch some people had called him mistakenly believing that his group had been awarded some of the grant money.

Hardiman is a two-time candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for Illinois governor who joined the group CeaseFire in 1999 and created the Violence Interrupters Initiative in 2004, according to the Violence Interrupters not-for-profit's website.

In the spring of 2022, State's Attorney Eric Rinehart announced the launch of the GVPI and requested proposals from community groups to manage teams of violence interrupters.

Then, in November 2022, Rinehart announced the Coalition to Reduce Recidivism and Waukegan Township would be in charge of managing its "violence interrupter" program, which focuses on Waukegan, North Chicago and Zion — the places with the most shootings in the county.

“This selection is critical to the short-term safety and long-term security of our communities in Lake County," Rinehart said at the time. "Through our local, state, and federal grants, we are building a program that will last for years."

Similarly named community violence interruption programs have been launched in Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans and Chicago. The Lake County initiative was assisted by Marcus McAllister, who has helped set up dozens of violence interrupter programs around the country over the past two decades, according to the state's attorney's office.

“The opportunity to work in the community that I call home to reduce gun violence is dear to my heart," McAllister said in a statement at the time. "I have helped numerous organizations throughout the country launch successful violence interrupter programs."

According to Rinehart's office, the GVPI was also developed in consultation with Chico Tillman. Tillman is the executive director of READI Chicago, an initiative of the Heartland Alliance that combines jobs, therapy, skill development and other support to those most likely to be involved in shootings.

In July 2023, Lake County hired Tierra Lemon as the director of the initiative. Last month, Lemon and Rinehart announced at an open house in Zion that the initiative had prevented four shootings and mediated a dozen disputes in its first three months.

In his Jan. 29 letter to Rinehart, Hardiman said he has been using the trademark since 2004 and learned about his use of the term earlier this month from news reports and word of mouth.

"Because you are using the same or similar mark on the same or similar services/products, we believe your use of the mark has caused confusion among our consumers and is likely to continue to cause customer confusion in the future," Hardiman said.

Hardiman said he wanted to open a dialogue with the state's attorney's office but warned that his attorneys would take any action necessary to protect his trademark.

"You have infringed on our mark. You must cease and desist from any use of the mark. Furthermore, you should sign the statement below certifying that you will cease using the mark," he said in the letter. "We recommend that you consult with an attorney before taking any action."

Steve Spagnolo, a spokesperson for Rinehart, said in a statement that the initiative was responsible for "drastically" decreasing gun violence in the county last year.

Data from the Council on Criminal Justice shows homicides declined significantly in most cities from 2022 to 2023, including by 14 percent in Chicago, 16 percent in Detroit and 20 percent in both St. Louis and Atlanta.

Spagnolo confirmed Rinehart's office had received Hardiman's letter.

"While our GVPI works on prevention," he said, "our violent crimes unit is prosecuting shooters, and our civil division is reviewing Mr. Hardiman’s letter."