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'I'm here to talk about solutions' | City leaders, activists take steps to combat violence in Toledo

Ideas discussed Friday ranged from an increased presence in law enforcement to a change in the way violent offenders are released from prison.

TOLEDO, Ohio — City leaders and activists joined together Friday to discuss how they can fight back against gun violence in Toledo.

The group gathered on Collingwood Boulevard in the Old West End, near the spot where 10-year-old Damia Ezell was shot and killed.

"What are we doing? How are we addressing this issue? I'm not here to point blame, I'm here to talk about solutions," state Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson said. 

The mission is to create real change, and Hudson said she is taking active steps to do just that.

"There's a partnership that we have with the highway patrol, I'm asking the governor to deploy more members of the highway patrol, but the way it works the mayor has to do that, so today I'm sending a letter to the mayor requesting that he do just that," Hicks-Hudson said.

RELATED: ‘I want justice for my baby’ | Mother of 10-year-old Damia Ezell speaks for 1st time, doesn’t believe fatal shooting was random

Earl Mack with the Buffalo Soldiers, a group serving as a liaison between the community and the police, said reform needed in Toledo's court system. 

He pointed to examples like the case of Robert Sherman, who had just been released from jail for domestic violence before allegedly killing the mother of his children.

RELATED: Woman killed, father of her children charged with murder after shooting in west Toledo apartment complex

"Police officers will arrest them, they will put them in jail, and next thing you know, the court system —  whether it's the prosecutor or the judges — will then let them out and then they're caught doing the same thing. There's a huge problem in this community," Mack said.

Tina Butts, founder of an activist group called "The Movement" said the recent violence highlights the lack of resources available, and it's desperation that can cause many to turn to a life of crime.

"The Movement has developed resource papers. We're going out knocking door to door, we're letting people know that there's help out here without their homes being divided," Butts said.

Hicks-Hudson said this is just the beginning. She plans to meet with mental health and educational leaders at the Mott Library next week to discuss how to solve the critical gaps in the city's support systems, in the hopes of preventing children and adults from feeling desperate enough to pick up a gun.

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