Cincinnati Herald Staff Report
CINCINNATI – The City of Cincinnati is reeling from the weekend of violence that left four people dead and 14 people wounded. Reaction to the violence has been swift with people saying enough is enough, city leaders saying something must be done to stop the senseless violence and get the guns off the street. The shootings took place in Over-the-Rhine, Avondale, West End and Walnut Hills.
Community leaders aren’t just speaking their reaction, but putting their words into action by holding first holding a gathering in Avondale at the corner of Reading and Forest at 5 p.m. for men who have lost sons to gun violence. There the group will speak about their pain, their loss, and why illegal guns need to be taken off the street.
On Tuesday, A community activist Brian Gary with Neighborhoods United Cincinnati is holding a rally at Grant Park, 73 East McMicken, at 6 p.m. in Over-the-Rhine. The rally is calling for a City-Wide Cease Fire. According to his email, inner-city gun violence is out of control. Since the onset of the COVID-19 public health crisis, gun violence has been on the rise. He claims there are many causes for the gun violence including poverty, lack of jobs, cutbacks or absence of youth programming, decrease hours at community reaction centers, etc., have been exacerbated by the public health crisis.
In reaction to the gun violence, Gary with Neighborhoods United Cincinnati will release a plan outlining a strategy to end the violence in Cincinnati. The plan’s release will take place outside Cincinnati City Hall, 801 Plum Street, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2020 at 3 p.m.