TOLEDO, Ohio — West Toledo residents are planning on coming together Wednesday night to host a 'It's Time to be Tough on Crime' event.
The idea is to educate one another on the resources available and come up with solutions on how to end violence in Toledo neighborhoods.
As of Nov. 16, 59 people in Toledo have been victims of homicides this year. That's just one fewer than at this time last year when we broke a record. At least 15 of those homicides have happened in west Toledo. That's nearly a quarter of this year's homicides.
Over the past few months, residents WTOL 11 has spoken to, as well as the mayor, have made it a point to acknowledge the recent uptick in crime happening in west Toledo.
Just last month, WTOL 11 spoke with residents who say the rise in violence is sad and frustrating. However, they also expressed a variety of ideas to help fix it. Which is exactly what the goal is of Wednesday night's community forum.
Several young people have been victims of homicide in west Toledo, including 18-year-old Tavon Fields, 16-year-old Neiko McIntyre and 7-month-old Desire Hughes.
As of late September, the city has not placed violence interrupters in West Toledo. WTOL 11 was told by a source with knowledge of the violence interrupter program that if the community wants the interrupters' presence, they need to speak with the city.
The president of the West Toledo Neighborhood Association, who is hosting the event, said solutions need to be made to stop all acts of crime.
"There's just too much crime. It's not just gun violence, it's house break ins, it's car break ins, it's home invasions," explained Tina Scott. "So, that's why Toledo, it's time to be tough on crime."
She said residents aren't utilizing the community services available to them when it comes to stopping acts of violence.
"So, we're kind of hoping to educate them on that and how to utilize these two programs -- like the Toledo Police Department. Because those community service offices are out there and they are there for you and they do a great job. Along with the Crime Stoppers," Scott explained. "We want to educate everybody on how that works."
The event is Nov. 16 at Eleanor Kahle Senior Center starting at 6 p.m. It's not just for west Toledo residents, as anyone is welcome.
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