TOLEDO, Ohio — Leaders in the fight against gun violence in Toledo are disappointed over the resignation of the program manager for Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz's initiative against gun violence.
WTOL 11 asked those who worked closely alongside the program about its future and what it means in the effort to reduce gun violence in our city.
We first talked to JoJuan Armour, asking him if the program will continue. He didn't want to go into details right now but says his last day is next Friday.
Until then, he'll focus on making sure the program is sustainable for the city.
"He lit the fire and we just got to keep it going," said Alfonso Narvaez, president of ONE Village Council.
He says communities like his in north Toledo noticed where Armour took action.
"Things like this take time and I think he was making a really good impact. We started seeing these areas that they did have the violence interrupters in. We started seeing those crimes go down," Narvaez said. "But more importantly, we saw the community engaged."
Armour started his job as the program manager position for Toledo's violence reduction initiative about a year ago.
Since then, he brought a group of violence interrupters to neighborhood streets.
"There have been significant decreases in the Junction, Englewood area. Is that a happenstance? Is it because they were in that area? Not sure. But the fact is, they were in that area and the numbers went down," said Brian Byrd, the Safety Director for the City of Toledo.
Byrd says Armour got the program up and running, and it'll keep running, while Armour moves on.
"He's got personal family things. He was looking to move to Columbus where his family is, we thank him for his service and he will help us move the program forward after he resigns," said Byrd.
Forward into the Lagrange neighborhood and the east side, once the city can hire more violence interrupters.
That time can't come soon enough for Narvaez. He wants to see a long-term plan to end the gun violence epidemic in the Glass City.
"We can listen but we have to have a plan of action. I think he was doing both and I think that's where it's disappointing," Narvaez said. "Because I think long term, we were headed in the right direction."
Byrd says they're looking at options to replace Armour. It could be someone on the inside or someone on the outside, and they may need to do some restructuring to the program.