TOLEDO, Ohio — The city of Toledo on Wednesday revealed what it calls a "Peace in Motion" plan: a five-year path to reduce gun violence in the Glass City.
"We want reduction in violence, we want increase in opportunity, we want improvement in neighborhoods," said Malcolm Cunningham, the city's director of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.
Cunningham is also the leader of Save Our Community, an initiative to reduce gun violence.
"Save Our Community is not enough," he said. "It is not something that should only exist inside of a government, it's something that needs to exist within communities. How do we support those communities? How do we support improved coordination so that we can connect people with the right resources in the right point in time to help address those issues?"
Cunningham says achieving the plan's goal means engaging more neighbors in the violence reduction work and bringing in more programs like Save Our Community, which he says has been successful so far.
An approach that puts public health at the forefront is necessary too, he added. This includes bringing violence intervention into hospitals and even exploring compensation for families impacted by shootings.
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz supports the plan, which those behind it say took 18 months to finalize before it was presented on Wednesday.
"While we are focused on short-term, immediate things like adding police officers and making sure kids have access to programming and jobs, we've also said simultaneously, 'well, let's take the time to make some long-term investments.' That's what this program is all about," Kapszukiewicz said.
Cunningham said there's no price tag for the plan yet, but argues city resources are already being used in the aftermath of gun violence. He'd rather see it spent on prevention.
"We're spending $570,000 every time someone is shot and $880,000 on someone that's shot and killed. So, the money is already being spent," he said.
The city is spending 30 days to get community input on the plan. To see the full presentation and to fill out the survey click here.
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