TOLEDO, Ohio — Just hours after two armed robberies minutes apart in west Toledo, -- and two days after two other robberies in the area -- the West Toledo Neighborhood Association held a meeting at the Eleanor Kahle Senior Center on Wednesday to discuss the recent violence and crime in the area.
Tammi Alexander grew up in west Toledo and moved away in 1997. She said family and health reasons encouraged her to move back in 2021 into the same neighborhood she grew up in.
She is now just blocks away from her parents and loves the proximity. However, she's not thrilled about the state of her former city.
"I'm glad I came (to the meeting) because I got a lot of information on crime, especially in the Five Points neighborhood," Alexander said.
During the meeting, Toledo police handed out and read over crime statistics for west Toledo. In April alone, there were 33 violent incidents involving a weapon, not including the robberies on Wednesday.
"It's disheartening because growing up here, it was not that way, especially in West Toledo," Alexander said. "We're standing here in Willys Park. We used to ride our bikes from Laskey and Lewis all the way up here to go swimming. You can't do that anymore."
Toward the end of the meeting, community leader Shawn Mahone Sr.'s program, Young Men and Women For Change, was introduced for residents to offer to juvenile neighbors. Many attendees were drawn to the program's results and ideals after speakers Jodie and Avery Banaszak said the program offers kids a way out and could be the change the area needs.
"It makes me feel like there's hope because what I ask of my kids every day is to do their personal best," Jodie Banaszak said.
Avery Banaszak said she's proud to tell her story of growth and maturity. She hopes others can learn and grow from it. Her twin brother, Nicholas Banaszak, said he's proud of his sister and how far she's come.
Alexander said the Banaszaks' story, along with other parents who shared how they're working to keep their kids out of the violence, make her proud. She hopes those who need guidance will look at Mahone's program for help.
"Everybody needs to invest in their kids. If they have problems with them they need to get ahold of this man," Alexander said of Mahone.