TOLEDO, Ohio — Community activists and faith-based leaders are calling on the city of Toledo to address the recent spike in gun violence.
They held a press conference Friday afternoon outside the African American legacy NAACP Toledo office located at 1326 Collingwood.
There have been five homicides in five days, four of them being shooting deaths that included two teenagers. There have also been 37 homicides so far this year compared to 38 homicides in all of 2019.
The group wants city officials to outline a plan to address the issue so there can be justice for the victims' families.
"We want to know what they're doing to try and solve some of these murders. Know that we're not going to sit silent because All Lives Matter, All Black Lives Matter and we want to make sure we're at the table and doing all that we can to make sure our young black men are not being extinguished," said Ray Wood, President of the Toledo branch of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The group also wants more resources to help the youth stay away from gang violence.
"The same fear I have of my sons making it home after a run in with the police is the same fear I have of them making it home just driving through our neighborhoods," said Rev. Charles Allen, the CEO of Power One.
Allen claims there are no 24/7 hotlines for at-risk youth involved in gangs to call for help.
After 20 guns were reportedly stolen from a home in Slyvania this week and then found in an abandoned warehouse in central Toledo, the group also wants answers because they're concerned about easy access to firearms.
They say they will be closely monitoring the investigation both in Toledo and Sylvania.
Earlier this week, Lt. Daniel Gerken in Investigative Services with the Toledo Police Department wouldn't speculate as to why the number of homicides so far this year is so high, but a spokesperson for police mentioned earlier in the summer, the warm weather coupled with tensions because of the COVID-19 pandemic may be contributing factors.
