The two-day Solutions forum held at Christ Temple Baptist Church in Evanston this week could not have been more timely. It came the day after the most deadly 24-hour period the city has experienced this year. Three fatal shootings occurred late Tuesday and early Wednesday, raising Cincinnati's homicide total to 27 so far this year. That's well on a pace to surpass the 64 committed last year.
Most of the victims and perpetrators of these crimes have been young black males. Most of the killings are drug-related, according to police.
"We cannot participate in our own demise," said the Rev. Calvin Harper, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference, and a participant in the forum. There is no greater problem in Cincinnati today than this raging violence, he said.
The parents, ministers and activists gathered in Evanston know what needs to be done: encourage parental involvment in children's lives; bring the spiritual messages taught in church into the streets; cooperate with the police.
These are brave souls who care enough about their community to speak loudly and clearly against the drug-related violence plaguing the streets.
"If you do dirt, I'm telling," needs to be the message decent people send to the thugs, said Officer Eric Dunn, an Evanston beat cop who attended the meeting.
Other groups have been at work as well. In January the "Peace Down the Way Coalition," a group of African-American religious groups, civil rights organizations and social service agencies called for a "Moratorium on Violence" and a return to principles of faith and perseverance in the black community.
Mayor Charlie Luken made violence prevention a centerpiece of his State of the City speech in January. Police are working harder to concentrate on trouble spots.
Citizen cooperation has always been one of the police's best crime-fighting tools. It's also the best way for people to ensure their own safety.
We commend those who refuse to be intimidated and are willing to stand up and be counted on in preserving the decency of our city.
