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Mayor’s Initiative to
Reduce Gun Violence Announcement
Toledo Mayor
Wade Kapszukiewicz last week announced the hiring of a
program manager who will be responsible for working with
residents, community partners, and law enforcement to
develop the city’s strategy to reduce gun violence.
The mayor
introduced JoJuan Armour, a Toledo native who is currently a
student wellness and family liaison at the Columbus Arts and
Technology Academy. Armour, a former professional athlete,
was previously a quality assurance program manager for the
Urban Minority Alcohol and Drug Abuse Outreach Program (UMADAOP).
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JoJuan Armour |
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“JoJuan brings
an experience that we hope, working in tandem with the other
resources already in use, and combined with new partnerships
we are forging in the community, will deter the violence we
have seen in Toledo,” Mayor Kapszukiewicz said. “As we said
last year, this initiative is aimed at reducing gun violence
by addressing it as a public health crisis. We will never
eradicate gun violence, or even make a dent into it, unless
we focus on the root causes and the social determinants.”
Chief of
Staff Katy Crosby said the city continues to use data to
adjust the program to target high-risk individuals and
neighborhoods. She stressed it is important to note that
this does not replace the role of law enforcement.
“It is our
hope that this reduces the need for law enforcement to
engage due to less violence in high-risk communities,”
Crosby said. “The goal of the initiative is to help stop
violence before it starts, and to begin helping the city and
police establish better relationships.”
Armour’s
focus will be working with the community and law enforcement
to build a successful program that includes developing
relationships with residents to deter violence, creating a
social service support network to address the needs of
high-risk individuals, and working with the Neighborhoods
Department to address blight issues that increase the
likelihood of violence.
“With
technical assistance provided by Cure Violence, he will be
building a program while trying to deter violence at the
same time,” Ms. Crosby said. “The program includes
connecting at-risk people to mentoring, employment, health
care, and other supportive services. Employment is a
violence deterrent. We know that that is a huge barrier,
because we also know that a lot of human resources policies
prevent people with criminal backgrounds from having
employment.”
Toledo Police
Chief George Kral said the police department will be an
active participant in the new effort.
“This is a
collaborative effort to address a problem many cities are
struggling with,” the chief said.
“It is an
absolute honor to be a part of an initiative to reduce gun
violence in the city I come from, in communities that my
family, friends and their children live in,” Armour said.
“By attempting to take in all the aspects of the community,
and the individuals in it, we will be able to create a more
comprehensive approach to addressing gun violence.”
Council
Member Vanice S. Williams; Council Member Theresa Gadus;
Toledo Neighborhoods Department Director Rosalyn Clemens;
Tracee Perryman, PhD, chief executive officer of the Center
of Hope Family Services, Inc.; the Rev. Otis Gordon, pastor
of Warren AME Church; Doni Miller, chief executive officer
of Neighborhood Health Association, and David Ross, creative
placemaker with Toledo’s Arts Commission joined the mayor
for the announcement, which was made by virtual news
conference today.
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