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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
How is central Ohio combatting gun violence? A look at resources available
The network of resources for families and communities affected by violence is interconnected and growing. Following the drastic spike in homicides in Columbus during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, both the city and Franklin County have continued to prioritize initiatives to heal central Ohio and its residents. Local government's response: Prioritizing data-driven collaboration Since its inception in 2023, after Mayor Andrew Ginther declared gun violence a public health crisis in 2022, Columbus' Office of Violence Prevention has stressed evidence-based and data-founded initiatives, said Rena Shak, the office's director. Since June 2024, the office has also overseen the implementation of the Columbus Violence Reduction (CVR) strategy, the local adaptation of the evidence-based Group Violence Intervention Model. The collaborative strategy between community and law enforcement works to reduce homicides and gun violence as well as the harm they cause in communities through a focus on deterrence. It also invested a total of $1.35 million so far this year in grants to 35 unique grantees, including both Think Make Live Youth and Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children, according to the Office of Violence Prevention. Shak also said the office's work highly emphasizes violence intervention. "We actually were able to kind of create Columbus' first community violence-intervention ecosystem," Shak said. "It's the first comprehensive, official ecosystem that the city has ever had. We started that at the beginning of last year." Franklin County's ecosystem On a local level, the county prosecutor's office is treating gun violence like an epidemic since Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor took office in November 2024. Like the city, the county is focusing on community collaboration and data-driven solutions. "I remain unwavering in my commitment to real, lasting solutions. This crisis can't be solved in silos," Favor said via email. In a similar ecosystem, Favor said she is engaging with law enforcement, community leaders, social service providers and residents to build a coordinated response rooted in both accountability and prevention. Favor moved her office's "Gun Unit" under its "Strategic Prosecution Division" as part of a restructuring to use more data and innovation to solve problems. After losing her 19-year-old son, Aiden David, in May, Gretchen Specht said she has felt the strength of the collaborative community in central Ohio surround her. As she has accessed resources, including Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children, the Pickerington mom of three is now advocating for early intervention and the elevation of community resources, especially regarding domestic violence and believing survivors' stories as her son was killed by the estranged ex-husband of the woman he was beginning to date. Columbus has compiled a comprehensive list of Violence Prevention Resources in the community. It can be found on the Office of Violence Prevention's website. These include Columbus Violence Reduction, Columbus Urban League's Neighborhood Violence Intervention Program, Columbus' VOICE (Violence Outreach, Intervention, Community Engagement) program and more. Sophia Veneziano is a Columbus Dispatch reporter supported by the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation. She may be reached at sveneziano@ The Dispatch retains full editorial independence for all content. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gun violence in Columbus: What community resources exist?
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Columbus City Hall glows orange to honor victims of gun violence
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus City Hall honors and remembers victims of gun violence by lighting itself orange. Friday night, dozens gathered at Columbus City Hall to raise awareness of gun violence. This event not only honored and remembered those who died by gun violence, but it was also about the work being done to prevent it. City hall was glowing orange because it's the color of gun violence awareness. Events are being held not just in Columbus, but nationwide to bring awareness to the gun violence that's happening across the country. 'It's imperative to realize that every life lost is a story that's been cut too soon. It is something that is impacting families and generations from that unfortunate loss. So we don't do it as a performative gesture just to show numbers. But what we do is to honor the people who have been lost,' said Office of Violence Prevention Director Rena Shak. Lancaster honors first Black business owner: debuts statue Year to date, the city has the lowest number of homicides in more than a decade. However, there were thirteen homicides in the month of May. It's a trend that doesn't surprise Director Shak. 'Historically, May has been our highest month with homicides for the last few years, as far as I can count,' she said. 'We hope that our efforts, as well as the efforts of all of our partners, both government and nonprofit, everything that we're doing this summer, helps to keep those numbers lower than they were in May.' Columbus police say there have been thirty-two homicides this year, 87% of those were committed with a gun. 'I feel like gun violence took a lot of people that I really care about away from me at such an early age, throughout the process of life, and even in my elder years. So I just feel like it really is a public crisis. But more importantly, it's a cultural issue that we've got to address and try to change the pattern,' said Nello Jennings, a Columbus Violence Reduction Interventionist. Jennings says keeping homicide numbers down requires community effort and collaboration. 'We all got to be in this thing together for us to really have an impact. I feel like the effects of gun violence is indiscriminate and it can affect any family,' he said. Director Shak says her office is investing millions of dollars into violence reduction. 'What we know is a large majority of all of our homicides that are happening year after year are starting in a conflict,' said Director Shak. 'So if we can get to that source of individuals in our community not truly knowing how to best resolve that conflict, how can we prevent those from happening on the back end.' Director Shak wants to emphasize the fact that they can't do this work alone. It takes an entire community coming together to really make a difference. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Columbus continues fight to slow violence in the city
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The City of Columbus' Office of Violence Prevention will be investing nearly $4 million throughout the rest of the year in key areas helping to slow violence. Leaders said the focus is on intervening in the violence cycle before it happens. Office of Violence Prevention Director Rena Shak said the office picked where to make these investments through research and community feedback, with the biggest chunks of money going toward fighting domestic violence and making more grant opportunities for community-based organizations. Poisonous plant rapidly spreading across Ohio: what to do if you see it Shak said the organization wants to make sure people are aware of the domestic violence resources available to help. She said research shows that domestic violence has increased recently in Columbus. 'What I think a lot of people find surprising is that the majority of the victims are not female and the majority is not intimate partner violence,' Shak said. 'We do have those instances and of course they are very high lethality. I think when we generally think about domestic violence, that's where our minds immediately go to is a female victim and it being intimate partner, so meaning spousal or boyfriend, girlfriend, things like that. But what we're finding is that, actually, the majority of our homicides in 2025 are more familial violence, so I know that there was a tragic situation with a father and son.' Shak said the office will also be launching a new violence prevention education campaign in June called Safer Together 614. She said this focuses on conversations between youth and adults about conflict resolution and healthy relationships. The last area of investment is under the Columbus Violence Reduction strategy and it is about intervention. They are expanding their intervention program to add more life coaches and mentors. 'Right now, that program is doing an amazing job at stabilizing individuals with their emergency needs, so when we're asking individuals to trust us to take on the resources that we're providing in order to make a change for the better in their lives and step away from gang violence, step away from gun violence,' Shak said. 'We're looking at that program and how we can expand, so this life coaching and mentoring piece will be a 12-to-18-month program where we will be providing trained professionals to walk alongside our participants.' Columbus principal's confrontation with officer did not violate policy, district says Sean Smith is the intervention manager for Columbus Violence Reduction, which was moved under the Office of Violence Prevention this year from the Department of Public Safety. Smith runs a program that works with people who are involved in crime or who have gang ties. 'I think, at the end of the day, these are people who care about their community, who they identify to be their community, and sometimes circumstance and life situations cause them to engage in behaviors that aren't always accepted,' Smith said. Smith said that when he was a teenager, he got in some trouble but made the choice to turn his life around, as did the other intervention specialists. 'They five, ten, 15 years ago could have been a participant in CVR had the program been around, so they have what we call lived experience,' Smith said. He said the funding will really help their mission. Bexley Library patrons compete for limited digital access amid increased demand 'I think the immediate way in which you can kind of see some of the benefits are in the opportunities, the resources that are being provided to the participants,' Smith said. 'One of the bigger things that I know director Shak has really been pushing lately is trying to assist with getting some of our participants who are qualified and who are prepared, maybe opportunities working with the city or some, you know, some good paying opportunities for them.' Shak said the city's year-to-date homicide rate is the lowest it's been since 2013. She hopes these investments will keep the downward trend going. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Despite federal moves, Columbus continues to treat gun violence as public health crisis
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Despite certain webpages related to gun violence no longer existing on the United States Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) website, city leaders in Columbus said their approach to combatting gun violence is not changing. It's been about three years since gun violence was declared a public health crisis in Columbus. 'What we are doing through the public health lens in public safety is to really look at all of those underlying social determinants of health that might predispose someone or that might affect someone into going into criminal activity,' Columbus Office of Violence Prevention Director Rena Shak said. Last summer, the former surgeon general declared gun violence a national public health crisis. That announcement came with a 40-page report on the issue and called for a ban on assault weapons. It was criticized at the time by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Now, when one tries to find that report or a web page about firearm violence in America on the HHS website, a 'Page Not Found' screen appears. 'I'd like to tell you I'm surprised but I'm not,' Shak said. 'I think this was an expected step especially given the fact the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention was dismantled not too long ago.' NBC4 reached out to HHS. 'HHS and the Office of the Surgeon General are complying with President Trump's Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights,' HHS wrote in a statement. Shak said what's happened will not affect Columbus' work. 'Regardless of whether the surgeon general was forced to take down the gun violence declaration as a public health crisis, that doesn't change our dedication to doing the work here,' she said. 'The public health crisis of gun violence still is in effect here in the city of Columbus and the mayor and Office of Violence Prevention, we are dedicated to doing everything we can through that lens.' Mayor Andrew Ginther's office also shared the following statement: 'Our gun problem isn't going away. Of the 12 homicides that have occurred this year, 11 involved the use of a firearm. We will treat gun violence as a public health crisis as long as this issue continues to impact our community.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
