WORCESTER—The Worcester City Council on Tuesday recognized Legendary Legacies, a Worcester-based community violence intervention organization, with a proclamation honoring its work in violence prevention, mediation and community healing.
Mayor Joe Petty introduced the proclamation at the Dec. 16 council meeting, citing the organization’s role in serving more than 600 community members annually and its work mediating conflicts, responding to crises and supporting survivors of violence. The proclamation declared Dec. 16, 2025, a day recognizing Legendary Legacies and co-founders Ron Waddell Jr. and Junito Ramos for their service to the city.
According to the proclamation read by Petty, Legendary Legacies has helped secure more than $1.6 million annually for violence prevention and community healing efforts in Worcester and has been recognized by the University of Chicago Crime Lab and its CVI Leadership Academy as a high-impact, evidence-informed organization.
After accepting the proclamation, Waddell addressed the council, stressing that the recognition reflected ongoing work rather than a finished effort.
“This moment for us is not about attention or applause,” Waddell said. “It is about the heart work, the emotional labor and the psychological care that this amazing team brings to Worcester every single day — the work that continues after the cameras are gone.”
Waddell said Legendary Legacies has responded to 67 acts of violence in Worcester over the past two years, working in partnership with city leadership and police to support families, prevent retaliation and stabilize volatile situations.
“Some of those responses came after homicides — families, neighborhoods devastated,” he said, then sharing the story of a 17-year-old homicide victim to paint a vivid picture of the cost of violence and the need for sustained community-based invention. “As a society, we often decide quietly whose lives are valued and whose are not. But it’s my faith that teaches me that every person has intrinsic value.”
He argued that community violence intervention should be viewed not only as a moral obligation but as a public safety investment, citing national research that shows suppression alone cannot rebuild trust or heal trauma.
“Suppression alone cannot rebuild trust. It cannot heal trauma and it cannot interrupt cycles that started long before a trigger was pulled,” Waddell said.
Waddell pointed to Worcester’s willingness to invest in long-term projects and urged the city to apply that same approach to violence prevention and community development.
“When we invest in individuals that we once viewed as liabilities, we convert those liabilities into assets,” he said. “We strengthen neighborhoods, we grow the workforce, we reduce harm.”
He closed by thanking the council and city leadership while urging continued commitment.
“The recognition cannot be the ceiling. It must be the floor of this work,” Waddell said. “The job is not finished.”
Petty thanked Waddell and his team for their work and also acknowledged School Committee member Vanessa Alvarez for sponsoring the proclamation.
