CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland leaders and community activists are looking for solutions to the city’s violence.
This week, the city extended the deadline to receive proposals for consultants to help craft a citywide violence prevention plan. It comes as recent weekends have been plagued by violent crime.
Monday, Edgewater Park was filled with families and friends enjoying the summer weather. Two days earlier, violence broke out at the park.
“I was totally shocked. You don’t hear about that happening here, not at Edgewater,” said Theresa Cofield, who drove up from Strongsville to celebrate her friend's birthday at the park.
Investigators say an 18-year-old man was critically injured Saturday night in a shooting at Edgewater. A 17-year-old faces charges for the shooting.
RELATED: Man injured at Edgewater shooting Saturday night
The next night, more violence erupted in the Ohio City neighborhood. Shots were fired when two Cleveland Clinic Police officers were responding to a domestic incident outside of Lutheran Hospital on W 25th St. Investigators have released few details in that case.
RELATED: 2 Cleveland Clinic police officers on leave after shooting outside of Lutheran Hospital
“Every day, every night you’re hearing something on the news. And there’s things you don’t hear, but it happens,” said Cofield of the recent stretch of violent crime.
Cleveland Metroparks Police are increasing patrols at Edgewater Park in response to the recent shooting. Many believe addressing the overall violence requires a more comprehensive strategy.
“You’ve got pockets of people, just little pockets of people, that’s trying to change the course of a community. That’s hard work,” said Seti Richardson of the Re-Entry Alumni Association.
The Cleveland-based group works with individuals recently released from prison to access housing, employment and other resources. It also focuses on steering young people away from paths that could lead to crime and incarceration.
“When they hurt someone, they don’t just hurt that person. They hurt their family, too,” said Kevin Carter of Right Track Youth Achievement, which works with the re-entry organization.
The groups operate under the umbrella of Cleveland Thrive, a citywide collaborative community violence intervention (CVI) network focused on preventing and reducing violent crime. The program was established in 2022 with a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The program is already promoting collaboration between existing community groups to leverage resources and find solutions in high-violence neighborhoods.
“The violence didn’t increase to this level overnight. So we also understand that the solutions will not be overnight either,” said Richard Austin, the program manager for Cleveland Thrive.
He explained the city is currently searching for a qualified consultant to help support the program’s goals. It’s looking for someone who can gather community input effectively and help craft the city’s violence prevention plan.
The blueprint, which will incorporate resident input and focus on targeted neighborhoods, is meant to address violence and ensure existing groups and individuals can meaningfully contribute to violence reduction goals.
Richardson said he and others who have been working on violence prevention would benefit from more resources from the city. But he also said many activists would continue their work, regardless of the program.
“This is just a matter of getting out in the community, having conversations with people in the community about how things can be different. How can we help you make things different?” he said.
The city is accepting proposals until 4 p.m. on July 5. The consultant selected for the project will focus on the Buckeye-Woodland, Central, Fairfax, Kinsman/Union-Miles, Mount Pleasant, North Broadway, and St. Clair/Superior communities to gather data and develop recommendations for a citywide plan.
You can find more information about Cleveland Thrive and learn how to submit a request for proposals (RFP) by clicking on this link.
