The Cincinnati Plan to Reduce Gun

Violence
August 21, 2020

Created by

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 Executive Summary
Inner city gun violence has been on the rise in the City of Cincinnati. Too many residents have
had their lives cut short by these senseless acts. Recently, Neighborhoods United Cincinnati
gathered community leaders from all professions, concerned citizens and faith leaders to put
their best thoughts toward coming up with a path forward, one which leads to a reduction and
eventual elimination of unmitigated gun violence on our streets.

Hours of meetings have resulted in the plan for reducing gun violence and replacing it with hope
for our youth, increased neighborhood safety, and ultimately neighborhood stability. Several
core themes emerged: 1) Health, 2) Education, 3) Youth and Family Support, 4) Social and
Spiritual development, 5) Economics, and 6) Gun Violence Mitigation.

Throughout the country, gun violence can be directly related to poverty and unstable living
conditions as a result of a total lack of investment in many neighborhoods which are already
vulnerable and systemically impoverished. Cincinnati has prided itself on big development
projects while at the same time investing poorly or none at all in neighborhoods already affected
by poverty and systemic injustice.

This plan demands that the city of Cincinnati takes any and all necessary steps to reduce and
eventually eliminate the scourge of gun violence from our communities. This plan calls for
neighborhood economic development and the need to build vibrant and stable, equitable
neighborhoods. This plan calls for an increase in our investment in health and human services.
This plan calls for the need to step up our efforts toward violence mitigation.

It is time that the City Council and the Mayor embrace this call.

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Safer neighborhoods directly correlated to investment in neighborhoods.

Sources: https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/oh/cinnati/crime

Cincinnati Enquirer: 10/27/2017

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Cincinnati Plan to Reduce Gun Violence 1

Created by: Neighborhoods United

Executive Summary 2

Introduction 6

Initiative 1: Health 9

Action 1.1: Designate gun violence as a public health crisis.

Action 1.2: Increase access to mental health care and counseling for individuals and
families.
Action 1.3: Increase access to general affordable health care.
Action 1.4: Identify and treat the reason(s) why one person shoots another.
Action 1.5: Introduce the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) awareness program.

Initiative 2: Education 15

Action 2.1: Educate society on the history of racial disparity

Action 2.2: Broaden tutoring and mentoring opportunities for children, parents,
grandparents, and caregivers.
Action 2.3: Encourage vocational studies as viable and respectable alternatives to college.
Action 2.4: Invest in community based co-creation of knowledge and knowledge sharing.
Action 2.5: Stimulate scholarship programs to make traditional college more affordable.

Initiative 3: Youth and Family Support 19

Action 3.1: Reestablish the Citizens Committee on Youth

Action 3.2: Create, maintain and advertise safe spaces for children.

Initiative 4: Social and Spiritual Development 22

Action 4.1: Recognize gun violence as a sign of societal illness.

Action 4.2: Build a City-wide Commitment to Increase Social Mobility.
Action 4.3: Demand that societal institutions use their funds and resources to heal our
communities.
Action 4.4: Call all faith to communities to commit to the healing of any community affected
by the pain of gun violence.
Action 4.5: Use prominent figures and familiar faces in communities to facilitate
city-wide participation in solutions.
Action 4.6: Encourage creative ideas to build social cohesion.

Initiative 5: Economics 28

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 Action 5.1: Reduce poverty
Action 5.2: Develop affordable housing
Action 5.3: Connect youth to jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities
Action 5.4: Supplement family income to promote healthy development
Action 5.5: Proactively assist people in poverty to locate and become involved with
available programs and aid
Action 5.6: Additional Economic Remedies to Continue Exploring

Initiative 6: Violence Mitigation 35

Action 6.1: Create a gun buyback program for Cincinnati communities

Action 6.2: Demilitarize the police and provide opportunities for rethinking community needs
and policing practices
Action 6.3: Promote policy and legal changes that increase public safety
Action 6.4: Find ways to include youth constructively in the community and rethink juvenile
justice
Action 6.5: Review, restructure, tighten and implement strict gun safety and ownership
prevention laws.

Appendix 1: Neighborhoods United participants 41

Appendix 2: Non Profits 43

Appendix 3: Sources 47

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Introduction
The first step to understanding the potency of this plan is realizing that what affects one affects
all. As communities connected in Cincinnati, we all are affected by the epidemic that is gun
violence. When one business owner is the victim of gun violence, the economic impact is felt on
us all. When one beloved member of the community is shot, their absence is felt by the whole
community. The unfortunate reality of today; however, is that our communities, our Council and
our Mayor do not act as if this is true. The following plan, as a result of unprecedented
community cooperation spread over months of meetings, addresses this reality and works
collaboratively to change it.

Neighborhoods United (NU) began in April 2019 to work on issues common to neighborhoods
across Cincinnati. Representatives from Madisonville to Westwood, from OTR to Bond Hill were
in attendance. Early meetings focused on learning what issues were impacting the different
neighborhoods and tended toward fair and equitable community-based development.

After two 14-year-old boys who attended Western Hills High School, Anthony Hinton Jr., and
Cameron Franklin, were murdered in a span of 10 days in late June and early July of 2019, our
conversations necessarily shifted focus. Inner city gun violence was the number one issue
affecting too many neighborhoods. Culminating with the murder of 16-year-old Eric Shields just
prior to our August meeting, we completely focused our efforts on issues related to the reduction
of gun violence.

Anthony Hinton Jr (Left) Cameron Franklin (Right)

Neighborhoods United held monthly meetings for the better part of a year, sometimes with
attendance of close to 100 individuals collectively working on the ideas presented in this
document. NU drew support from citizens in every role imaginable: teachers, preachers, judges,
elected officials, law enforcement, community advocates, gun safety advocates, and regular
citizens, all fed up and wanting to make a positive impact in their neighborhood.

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Most of the work on the plan was done prior to the emergence of Covid-19 and the Black Lives
Matter protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed Black citizens. These
two events have significantly changed the landscape as envisioned at the beginning of this
project. The stay-at-home orders followed by a buying spree at local grocery stores further
highlighted the economic disparities in the city. Following the deaths of George Floyd and
Breonna Taylor at the hands of the police, racial inequality and injustice has risen to the
forefront of social consciousness. Sadly, during this trying time, gun violence on our streets
continues to rise, which is why now is the time for this plan to surface.

This plan identifies six important themes connected to the prevention of gun violence in our and
any community: 1) Health, 2) Education, 3) Youth and Family Support, 4) Social and Spiritual
development, 5) Economics, and 6) Violence Mitigation. Under each category there are several
action items, each suggested by citizens, to improve the community and reduce city-wide gun
violence.

Each action item is further explained in a rationale that defines the purpose of the action. A
“SMART” (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) version of the goal is intended to
make the goal an actionable plan to guide our work together as a community. For each action
item, we identified one or more community groups that could be responsible for implementing it.

This document is meant to uplift the current concerns of the citizens, but those concerns may
change over time. We demand the City and Administration continue to listen and respond to the
voices of the community, even as they change and evolve. While the majority of our thoughts on
the subject of Gun Violence prevention are reflected here, we reserve the right to bring more
concerns to our elected representatives as the needs of the community are ever changing.

It is not a simple task to ‘turn the ship around'. It will take a community wide effort, with all
hands-on deck. We recognize that many of our existing agencies are overburdened. To make
progress, it may take thinking outside the box, shifting funding from ineffective efforts to more
critical efforts or redeploying existing staff in different directions. That is what this report
encourages and demands of private businesses, citizens, the City Council and the Mayor. This
report represents the needs and requests of the community, and leaves the specific
implementation up to all members of our city, especially those in authority. It will be their
responsibility to pick up where we left off.

Initiative 1: Health

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Action 1.1: Designate gun violence as a public health
crisis.
Rationale:

All available resources need to be brought to bear on issues related to gun violence, systemic
racism, and the associated dehumanization of people. The American Public Health
Association(APHA) says that “The issue of gun violence is complex and deeply rooted in our
culture, which is why we must take a public health approach to ensuring our families and
communities are safe. A public health approach to preventing gun violence recognizes that
violence is contagious and can become an epidemic within a society. Primary prevention
involves the use of core public health activities to interrupt the transmission of violence.” We
cannot fix such a systemic problem with surface level solutions -- we need drastic cultural
changes, and to do that, we must incorporate the time and resources from a variety of
industries, such as government, business, nonprofit, and health care. The recognition of gun
violence as a public health crisis is the first step.

SMART version:

First, the city will declare gun violence a public health crisis. Next, in partnership with local
community organizations, a task force will be formed to coordinate the work of CIRV, CEASE

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FIRE and others within 6 months. This task force must be composed of a diverse group of
people, representing various sectors of Cincinnati. It should include people from health care
industries, business industries, social and welfare programs, community and economic
development industries, and more. This task force also needs to capture the voices and ears of
the people and take the time to listen to residents of neighborhoods who are directly affected by
gun violence. The task force should hold meetings and town halls, so that they are truly serving
the will of the people.

Resources and related research:

Gun Violence is a health crisis that affects all of the United States, including Cincinnati. The
APHA tells us that every year, over 39,000 people are fatally wounded through gun violence,
while an additional tens of thousands are subject to gun related injuries. Additionally, the most
predominant method for suicide is by use of gun. 85% of attempted suicides via gun end in
death, as opposed to just 3% for other methods such as drug overdose. This remains important
as almost 90% of those who survive an attempted suicide do not attempt suicide again.

We also see gun violence present in our city. Despite various stages of shutdown and
quarantine occupying a large majority of the year, Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Cincinnati
has had 51 fatal shootings as of July 2020, having the potential to rival the worst year on record
with 88 killings. Fatal shootings have increased nearly 65% over the last year. Additionally,
general shootings have also increased by 55%, with 326 total documented shootings.

Additionally, gun violence disproportionately affects minorities and persons of color. Moms
Demand Action reports that in Ohio, Black people are 3 times as likely to die by gun as white
people.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

The City of Cincinnati and its health department are the only ones with the authority to declare
gun violence a public health crisis. It will take the demanding power of Cincinnati based faith
communities, schools, health centers, recreation centers and other organizations in order for the
city to be so compelled. We are calling on all such organizations and community members to
make this demand.

Action 1.2: Increase access to mental health care and

counseling for individuals and families.
Rationale:

We must interrupt the cycle of depression and other mental health disorders in our city which
often contribute to the tendency of violence. The best way to do this is by providing positive
support to families and individuals to promote healthy communities, instead of through
incarceration and adjudication. This support must come in the form of institutional,
organizational, governmental and community recognition of responsibility for the mental well-
being of every single citizen.

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SMART version:

Within three years, affordable mental health care and counseling will be available upon request
and referral at schools and in the community, especially to heal the trauma caused by past gun
violence, poverty, racism, and institutional barriers to inclusion and success. Every public school
in Cincinnati must adhere to the ratio of a maximum 250 students : 1 counselor, as
recommended by the American School Counselor Association, although we recommend that
this ratio be significantly lower when possible. Additionally, the city of Cincinnati must provide for
every neighborhood to have access to a health professional equipped to counsel victims of gun-
related trauma. The counselors must have deep experiential and personal knowledge of the
problems of the neighborhood in which they are located.

Resources and related research:

The U.S Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported findings from a
study within the last ten years that noted that not everyone who needs mental health treatment
has access to it. In fact, of the 45.6 million American adults who suffered from some kind of
mental health issue, only 38.2% were able to receive any kind of service. 50% of those unable
to receive treatment cited cost as the primary reason, even though those surveyed were a
mixture of both uninsured and insured. In Ohio alone, 54% of adults with a mental illness did
not receive treatment, which equates to 958,000 individuals (per Mental Health America).
According to pewresearch, in 2017, 6 in 10 gun related deaths (or 23,854 total) in the U.S were
suicides, making it the most since 1968.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

City of Cincinnati, in conjunction with state and federal agencies for funding of various health
initiatives in partnership with CPS and other public and charter schools to provide support
directly to students. Community trauma Centers and the intervention of front-line workers,
including Cincinnati Police Department under the provision that penal and coercive responses
are strictly prohibited and that any police intervention related to non-violent mental health crises
would never result in incarceration or adjudication.

Action 1.3: Increase access to general affordable health

care.
Rationale:

Many factors influence a person’s ability to get needed health care. The benefits of access to
health care impact every aspect of the lives of people in a community. Greater access to health
care will increase growth opportunities for companies, improve learning and behavior, improve
on-time performance for workers, and provide countless other benefits to Cincinnati.

Specifically, in Cincinnati, lead poisoning is a large issue that has direct links to gun violence.
Many old houses in Cincinnati still have lead based paint. Per the Cincinnati Health
Department, lower income neighborhoods are more likely to have lead-based paint than higher
income households. This is evident in our communities such as Evanston and East Price Hill
who have a higher percentage of children who test positive for lead poisoning, with percentages
at 11.4% and 8.3% respectively. Although the City of Cincinnati has received over $11 million in
grants from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, this is not enough, as

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evident by the rates of children testing positive for lead poisoning.

A study from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee has linked a child’s exposure to lead to
later gun violence. Specifically, as childhood blood levels rise, the child faces a greater risk of
becoming a victim or perpetrator of gun violence. General health care must be affordable to
combat this.

SMART version:

Cincinnati will use its resources and work with partners to provide general healthcare access to
30% more people annually for 3 years, resulting in a 90% increase in population access, with
the goal of creating a plan to make sure that every person has access to affordable health care
within 4 years, regardless of insurance status.

In addition, the City must work to actively reduce the amount of children testing positive for lead
poisoning by 0.3% of the total population each year, with the goal that no child tests positive for
lead poisoning within 10 years. Measures to reduce this should include educating the
community of potential sources of lead poisoning and how to avoid them, proper maintenance
and repair of old homes, eliminating sources of lead such as paint and contaminated soil,
testing all children in high risk zip codes by ages one and two, and testing any children in the
City of Cincinnati under the age of six who have never been tested.

Resources and related research:

After running a poll, Gallup concluded that 25% of Americans reported that either a family
member or themselves have postponed medical treatment because of the cost of said
treatment. Similarly, the American Cancer Society discovered that 56% of adults in America
described having a minimum of one medical hardship. The U.S Census Bureau reported that in
2018, 27.5 million people didn’t receive health insurance for the entirety of the year.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

City of Cincinnati Health Department, Health partners, local hospitals, public school partners,
local foundations.We currently only have seven Cincinnati health centers that are free and open
to the public in the city. These should be expanded and managed by the Cincinnati Health
Department, in addition to teaching and research hospitals and foundations. Similarly, the city
should establish an emergency health fund to cover the cost of expensive operations and
procedures for economically disadvantaged citizens.

Action 1.4: Continual assessment of reasons for gun

violence and the effectiveness of preventative measures.
Rationale:

Too many people die by gunfire each year in Cincinnati. The complexity of investigating why
arises when considering the changing landscapes which may support violence on different
levels. Gun violence is preventable through investigating why one person shoots another and
then addressing those causes. However, the solutions must be as various and multidimensional
as the causes themselves.

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SMART version:

Cincinnati will implement available resources to reduce the annual number of gun deaths three
years in a row over a five-year period by fully funding agencies that work in communities to
achieve this end. This includes expanding programs like PIVOT, the Phoenix program, and the
community outreach advocates working out of the Urban League. As an urban community, we
can gather and implement ideas and resources of other successful cities to reduce gun violence
and work toward implementing them in our own city.

Resources and related research:

Per the American Public Health Association. “Prevention includes using public health activities
to interrupt the transmission of violence by studying 4 criteria. 1) Conducting surveillance to
track gun-related deaths and injuries, gain insight into the causes of gun violence and assess
the impact of interventions 2)identifying risk factors associated with gun violence and resilience
or protective factors that guard against gun violence 3) developing, implementing and evaluating
interventions to reduce risk factors and build resilience and 4)institutionalizing successful
prevention strategies.”

Who is responsible / who can implement?

City Council, citizens working closely with police, faith communities, and non-police entities
working as directed by the fully funded community bodies structured above.

Action 1.5: Introduce the ACE (Adverse Childhood

Experience) awareness program.
Rationale:

Gun violence is a reactionary affliction brought on by a multiplicity of traumas and adverse

experiences in life. ACE training seeks to implement mental and emotional health support
strategies to address children affected by trauma so that they are not themselves compelled to
react to their trauma in negative ways such as with gun violence. Implementing ACE training at
a city wide level means taking responsibility not just for the eradication of violent and traumatic
events, but also for the healing of those who have experienced them or may be prone to inflict
them as a result of their own traumatic experiences. Unaddressed or unresolved ACEs further
perpetuate the current struggles and cycle of violence.

SMART version:

Within one year, Cincinnati will have created training in how to recognize, refer, educate, and
treat ACEs and make the training available to all departments and leaders in the city. All mental
health professionals in the city who have not been exposed to ACE need to be educated as
well. Any occupation, such as teachers, pediatricians, coaches, etc. that regularly works with
children needs to be trained in recognizing signs of an ACE. As well, knowing resources and
who to refer the child or guardian of the child to is equally important.

Resources and related research:

According to the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, children in Cincinnati

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are more likely to have Adverse Childhood Experiences than the national average. 60.5% of
children in Cincinnati have had at least one Adverse Childhood Experience, as compared to
47.9% nationally. 31.1% of children in Cincinnati have experienced at least two Adverse
Childhood Experiences, compared to 22.6% nationally.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

Cincinnati Public Schools, other public schools, private schools and charter schools in the city
must be required to train their mental health professionals on ACE awareness. The Cincinnati
City health department in conjunction with the City Council and Mayor has the same
responsibility when it comes to the training of mental health professionals provided to the
community as per Action 1.2. Training can be provided by the National Association of Social
Workers, Ohio Chapter, with additional training can be pulled from the CDC if necessary.

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 Initiative 2: Education

Action 2.1: Educate society on the history of racial

disparities
Rationale:

Systemic racism is killing people. This racism is rooted in the history of racial disparity and
criminalizes behavior exhibited in the Black, non-white and poor communities that are
continually treated as minority and subsequential to the affluent white majority. This history of
systemic othering of non-white communities contributes directly to the maintenance and further
extrapolation of other forms of discrimination already outlined in this plan.

It is crucial for society to understand that the reluctance and refusal of white people to give up
control of their guns is founded in White Supremacy. Proud possession of a gun traces directly
back to the power complex slave owners exerted over their slaves to create a sense of
superiority.

SMART version:

The City will immediately acknowledge that systemic racism exists in Cincinnati as has been
done by Hamilton county’s declaration of racism as a public health issue in 2020. The city will
work to create programs that educate society on what constitutes systemic racism, to defund or
deconstruct agencies that serve to perpetuate this racism and to organize agencies explicitly to
work against systemic racism.

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Resources and related research:

“The homicide rate for Black Americans in all 50 states is, on average, eight times higher than
that of Whites” - National Council on Family Relations

The national council on family relations observed that in Philadelphia’s safety police district,
which is majority white, no deaths were due to gun violence in 2014. In the same period but in
the most violent district, composed mostly of Black members, there were 189 victims and 40
deaths.

Cincinnati is not immune to this phenomenon. Gun violence in Cincinnati demonstrates clear
racial disparities. Spectrum News Reports that 28 homicides were seen in the first 4 months of
the year. Of these homicides, 25 were gun related and 26 of the victims were Black.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

City of Cincinnati, faith communities, civic groups, and other organizations must create spaces
where racism can be discussed and addressed. Reading materials, dialogue, various media.

Action 2.2: Broaden scholarship, tutoring and mentoring

opportunities for children, parents, grandparents, and
caregivers.
Rationale:

Lack of access to support and education perpetuates effects of systemic racism, poverty, and
neglect in our community. Individuals not given access to literacy education past the fourth
grade are much more likely to commit acts of gun violence later in life. A lack of access to
education reduces the diversity of experience and inclusion that a student may have by limiting
their education to experiential and life-lesson learning, which in turn limits a child world-view and
ultimately their options of whether or not to participate in gun violence. Coincidentally, Black
communities and communities of color are more frequently blocked from access to quality
education. By prioritizing this action and by allowing parents, grandparents, and caregivers to
work alongside tutors, children have more opportunities to learn and more ideas to learn about.

While the US economy thrives on a tradition of education that has been established in such
ways that access has been limited to citizens based on socioeconomic class, it is necessary to
establish temporary bridges and overcome the gap between students who have access and
those who don’t. Many students in the US feel that a college education right now is necessary to
obtain a well-paid and sustainable job, and indeed some say it is impossible to find one without
a college degree.

SMART version:

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Over the next school year implement multi-generational programs that include parents,
grandparents, and caregivers. Fund these programs so that free tutors will be available to
implement and lead interactive educational experiences. Stress the importance of the presence
of a tutor, who works in conjunction with Cincinnati public schools and the Cincinnati Public
library, who will be available in school, after school and in extracurricular community capacities.
Allow this mentorship and tutoring to extend to all members of the community with an emphasis
on youth education support.

In addition, set up a community fund through the city that allows people from communities with
lower socioeconomic access to have an affordable option for colleges in the city. Partner with
UC, XU and Cincinnati State to make these scholarships lasting endowments for community
development.

Resources and related research:

Before implementing an ex-con mentoring program, Richmond CA, located by the Bay Area,
recorded a record 47 gun homicides in 2007. By 2014, gun homicides had fallen to 11. By this
time, 68 at risk youth had proceeded through the program, and 94% were alive and 79% had
not been suspected of a crime. When the program was forced to cut staff, the homicides nearly
doubled again, further solidifying the success of the program. This is one of countless examples
of community education and mentorship programs that affected all members of society through
a common educational goal.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

CPSBOE, City, libraries, faith communities, rec centers and senior centers, Cincinnati Youth
Collaborative and organizations working together on gun violence prevention.

Action 2.3: Encourage vocational studies as a viable and

respectable alternative to college.
Rationale:

Not every good paying job requires a college education. There is currently a need for people
skilled in a variety of technical areas according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but these jobs
are not always prominently advertised. Today’s current emphasis on traditional colleges
neglects those students who may not have the resources or time to attend. Instead of being
educated and aware of their options, they fall into the trap of working a minimum wage job for
the entirety of their life, leaving them unable to support a family or pay for unexpected
expenses.

SMART version:

In the next year begin to educate families, teachers, counselors, and society about the need for
jobs in technical service positions requiring only vocational studies. In turn, these trusted
leaders will promote and advertise these opportunities to students personally, making sure to
meet with students to answer any questions and alleviate any concerns.

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Resources and related research:

Statistics on unfilled technical jobs, current vocational education programs available in the
Cincinnati area.

The Occupation Finder tool of the Bureau of Labor Statistics currently displays 331 jobs that do
not require education of more than a high school diploma. Of these, 37 occupations are
projected to need between 10,000 and 50,000 new employees, and 13 occupations are
projected to require 50,000 or more new employees.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/03/choosing-trade-school-over-
college/584275/

Who is responsible / who can implement?

CPSBOE, faith communities and families often carry the responsibility of pushing their youth
toward traditional methods and paths of education, but it is also up to communities through
initiatives led by the Cincinnati City Council to encourage, promote and advertise jobs that
require vocational degrees and reassure citizens that many types of jobs are important that
require many types of qualifications, not just the ones traditionally advertised and proposed.

Action 2.4: Invest in community based co-creation of

knowledge and knowledge sharing.
Rationale:

The community is critical to educating partners and informing systems change to remedy
inequity, expand opportunity and open paths to upward mobility. Those most closely affected by
racial disparities and violence in communities should be centered in curating and implementing
policy solutions, program planning and service delivery efforts and linking research to action.
Community listening circles, interviews, focus groups, neighborhood organizing activities, and
other participatory based practices can help surface community-specific knowledge critical to
wellbeing and safety. Communities must ultimately determine what outcomes are most
important in a violence reduction effort and what strategies are acceptable means for achieving
those outcomes. Resources for these community efforts are often limited.

SMART version:

Identify trusted community stakeholders in the next 12 months to collaborate with and ensure
community residents are represented in co-creating knowledge of the community and
implementing solutions to remedy inequity.

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Resources and related research:

Who is responsible / who can implement?

Community residents, faith communities, community based organizations play a part in building
initiatives, programs and support for community based learning. These organizations and
individuals need necessarily be financially supported by the City, which must invest in
community and neighborhood development and set aside money for community programs in the
interest of public health and safety.

Initiative 3: Youth and Family Support

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Action 3.1: Reestablish the Citizens Committee on Youth
Rationale:
A better community starts with supported youth because they will be better equipped to
contribute to their communities and support the next generation of children. Low income families
struggling to just make ends meet, and single-parent homes have very little time to guide our
youth. How can we break the generational curse of poverty if there isn’t some kind of
intervention? This is why it’s critical to have a committee that oversees and ensures that our
youth have the resources and sense of direction they need.

SMART version:
By the end of the year, City Council will increase funding for CCY and programs such as
Mentorship programs, life Skills and entrepreneurship programs, additional counseling. In 2021
council will confirm that the CCY has invested in skilled-trade, arts, and sports programs for
young children. It is expected that this happens not in isolation but in partnership with public,
private, and charter schools.

Resources and related research:

Who is responsible / who can implement?

City Council

Action 3.2: Create, maintain and advertise safe spaces for

children.

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Rationale:

Safe spaces allow children to be children and to grow and develop their sense of self-worth.
They are intentionally designed for children and are specifically set apart from other features of
a community so that children know there are spaces for them. They include spaces such as
playgrounds, recreation centers, museums, zoos, and parks which, while also being accessible
for adults, are aimed at giving children a space to be entertained, educated, and stimulated in
the mind and body. This supports a culture of visible recognition for safety concerns about the
youngest populations of our community.

SMART version:

Within one year, the city will reinstate Citizens Committee on Youth (CCY), broaden
partnerships with programs serving young people, and create other related programs. Such
organizations will seek to form partnerships with community members such as the Cincinnati
zoo and the Cincinnati Children’s museum and integrate resources with the Cincinnati
Recreation commission to base their programming out of Cincinnati’s more than 100 parks and
playgrounds. These programs will focus not just on cultivating and creating available spaces,
but will also strategize location, hours of operation and openness of the space by keeping in
mind the most optimal ways to keep children safe from harm and completely free to use the
space without worrying about safety.

Resources and related research:

Cincinnati has over 100 parks and playgrounds specifically designed for use by children as
reported by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

CPS, United Way, City Council, Mayor, city departments.

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 Initiative 4: Social and Spiritual
Development

Action 4.1: Recognize gun violence as a sign of societal

illness.

Rationale:

A new study by Professor Daniel Kim at Northeastern University highlights underlying societal
issues connected to gun violence. Structures and institutions in our society are not performing in

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healthy ways for all citizens. Signs of this range from people’s inability to be upwardly mobile to
local government’s lost credibility with its constituents. We know this is a sickness and not just
the way things are because the symptoms are less present in neighborhoods where societal
institutions are functioning properly. From 2001 to 2013 more people died in the United States
than Americans who died in war, from illegal drug overdoses, and terrorism combined according
to Daniel Kim at Northeastern University. Our societal illness is literally killing more of us than
external threats to our nation.

SMART version:

As we talk about the issue of gun violence, we need to reorient people’s understanding of it as a
symptom of an illness. We should set the context for the issue of gun violence in its root causes
to help people see it as an illness. We need to educate people on the harmful effects of the spur
them to action. We call for the city government to research the connection between gun
violence related deaths and the overall death rate of the city. We need to connect the symptoms
of the illness with the cause of the illness to spur people to action. When people understand
their interconnected place in the city, they will understand their ability to impact the root causes
of the illness. As we learn how the environment we create impacts individuals, we will see
people caught up in gun violence as fellow neighbors instead of as criminals and victims.

Resources and related research:

https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/01/06/can-gun-violence-be-traced-back-to-socioeconomic-
root-causes/

Who is responsible / who can implement?

City government, faith communities, non-profit organizations working on poverty.

Action 4.2: Build a City-wide Commitment to Increase Social

Mobility

Rationale:

An individual’s success in being upwardly mobile is correlated with a decreased chance in dying
from a shooting according to the study by Daniel Kim. The symptom of gun violence can lead to
a further decrease in social mobility. Thus, the symptom can perpetuate and amplify the cause
of the illness and cause the symptoms to worsen. A presence of gun violence in a neighborhood
can discourage social and health services from being present in a community due to security
concerns (Amnesty.org). This can contribute to difficulties for businesses operating in the area.
As a result, waning economic opportunity for residents causes greater difficulty in social

23
mobility. Women are particularly at risk to the effects of gun violence from intimate partners and
guns used as means to commit sexual assault (Amnesty.org). Women who have suffered from
gun violence face added difficulties of trauma in addition to hurdles that already exist for them to
be upwardly mobile. This would naturally lead to added difficulties for the children of the women
as they navigate the education system. When people see and experience opportunities for
social mobility they are able to begin breaking out of the cycle between the sickness and the
symptoms.

SMART version:

We must build a city-wide culture that encourages opportunities for upward mobility. We must
develop a community that overcomes the stigma of mental health issues related to trauma, in
order to give opportunities for people to break into a path of social mobility. While economic
opportunity is being developed, we need sustained engagement from society to break into the
sickness/symptom cycle. As we work on social mobility, we need to encourage healthy
interaction between citizens and police officers. Providing an assurance of security can help
people break out of an unsafe environment. We cannot arrest our way out of gun violence, a
healthy relationship between police and community can help somebody in danger seek the help
they need. This can result in one less hurdle for people to achieve social mobility.

Resources and related research:

https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/01/06/can-gun-violence-be-traced-back-to-
socioeconomic-root-causes/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/arms-control/gun-violence/

Who is responsible / who can implement?

Police department, city council, businesses, corporations, faith communities.

Action 4.3: Demand that societal institutions use their funds

and resources to heal our communities.
Rationale: People’s lack of trust in society’s institutions such as government, media, and
corporations are correlated with an increase in gun related deaths according to Daniel Kim’s
study. We are all interconnected and we all contribute to the environment that makes up this
city. Thus, one neighborhood’s struggles are deserving of resources of the whole city to deal

24
with the illness causing gun violence. The city gives tax cuts to corporations and businesses
that continue to make profits in the environment, we are all part of making. Yet impoverished
neighborhoods continue to struggle to find the resources they need. This leads to distrust of the
local government. As a result, some people do not believe that city government and societal
institutions are working for them. A lack of trust in the system can lead individuals to choose
illegal activity to make money and acquire power. This can lead to more gun violence.

SMART version:

Corporations need to invest more in their workers and dedicate more resources to building a
healthy environment in the city. The people of the city are the ones churning out profit for the
corporations they work for. As well, the people of the city make up the environment where a
corporation can exist to make a profit. Local government should honor its responsibility to all its
citizens and not be afraid to use tax revenue from the whole city to solve problems in any
neighborhood. In addition, we need a city government to honestly face its shortcomings to begin
winning back trust with all the people it serves.

Resources and related research:

https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/01/06/can-gun-violence-be-traced-back-to-socioeconomic-
root-causes/

Who is responsible / who can implement?

City government, businesses, and corporations.

Action 4.4: Call all faith communities to commit to the

healing of any community affected by the pain of gun
violence.

Rationale:

Individuals do not necessarily see a shooting in another neighborhood as affecting them,

because it is not in their neighborhood. Faith communities know how to show up for their own
people who are going through pain. However, that action does not necessarily translate into
showing up to sit in the pain of another community. If we all offered the same care and energy
to the pain of people in someone else’s community that we do our own, we would have no
shortage of helping hands in a crisis.

SMART version:

25
Faith communities and their constituents must reach into their pockets to help anyone else’s
community who is in pain. A faith community with constituents in high places should use their
platforms to help solve problems in other communities. Members of faith communities must
show up to sit in the pain with members of another community.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

Faith communities

Action 4.5: Use prominent figures and familiar faces in

communities to facilitate city-wide participation in solutions.

Rationale:

People who try to help in neighborhoods they are not familiar with can cause additional harm,
even when they mean well. When faith communities run service projects and programs in
neighborhoods, they can engage in unhealthy power dynamics that can make people feel more
alienated. Mentoring programs for individuals need to be strategically planned with the needs of
the mentee in mind.

Smart version:

As the city navigates the pain of neighborhoods troubled by gun violence it is important to be led
by the neighborhoods themselves and recognized leaders. As we help our city heal from this
societal illness it is important for the neighborhoods most affected to drive the cure. This will
follow the lead of the neighborhoods as they surface their own solutions while utilizing the help
of the resources from the greater city-wide community. Thus, when communities show up to
help each other, they are less likely to cause additional harm. The people who have lived their
whole lives in these neighborhoods have the experience that we need to draw on.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

City government, faith communities, and neighborhoods.

Action 4.6 Encourage creative ideas to build social cohesion

Rationale:

26
We must build an environment where people are being intellectually and relationally stimulated.
As a result new solutions that we have not even thought of will have fertile soil to grow in.

SMART version:

Invest more resources into the fine arts. As we build economic opportunity we should not forget
the contribution of the arts. The arts create joy and connection by encouraging creative and
collaborative thinking. The city should invest in a city wide chess program in the public schools.
This will develop logic and critical thinking in young people through healthy competition. In
addition it will build healthy relationships. High school students can engage in running chess
clubs for younger students. As well, outside adult volunteers can bring more interaction to
students’ lives to allow them to see more of the opportunities that the world can offer.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

The community, neighborhood residents, city government, and community based organizations.

27
 Initiative 5: Economics

Action 5.1: Reduce poverty

Rationale:

Poverty prevents children and their parents and grandparents - entire communities - from
achieving their full potential, creates tension and stress that lead directly to negative and
criminal behaviors, mental and physical health issues, and deaths of despair. Breaking this
cycle within families and in Cincinnati itself will produce a more vibrant, more economically
healthy community, which will lead directly to a more productive and safer city.

SMART version:

Within three years, increased family income, proactive outreach to provide resources to those in
poverty, connecting youth to jobs and entrepreneurship, and the development of affordable
housing will begin to decrease the poverty in our city.

Resources and related research:

The Child Poverty Collaborative, Children’s Home, United Way, and other groups have years of
research and experience to bring to the table. Universities, particularly UC, school districts and
School Boards, Children’s Hospital, as well as parents form a range of communities from which
to draw assistance for children. Workforce programs, education and training, Cincinnati State
and its varied offerings all have tools to bring to this concern, as does the Southwest Ohio
Regional Investment Board. Likewise, for senior citizens being damaged by the effects of
poverty, many pieces of support are in place, and need to be spread more broadly and better
coordinated to achieve better outcomes.

28
Who is responsible / who can implement?

The Child Poverty Collaborative, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Health Departments,
Children’s Hospital, The Children's Home, City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and other
governmental entities, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Greater Cincinnati Foundation,
agencies, Senior Services, CPSBOE, schools, faith communities and philanthropic institutions.

Action 5.2: Develop affordable housing

Rationale:

Individuals and families who are well housed - in safe, affordable, and well-built housing in safe
and healthy neighborhoods - develop more self-esteem, strong friendships, and generally lead
more productive lives, with less stress.

The best way to give today’s children a chance for upward mobility and more confident lives, is
to provide stability in housing and in schooling. When they are able to stay in the same place
for a number of years, they build good relationships in school and in their communities, are able
to participate in sports and other activities, and can then consider good plans for their futures.

SMART version:

The city will provide full funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the passage of the
proposed Charter Amendment through the petition being circulated now by the Affordable
Housing Advocates and the Homeless Coalition will create the resources to tackle Cincinnati’s
28,000 missing affordable housing units problem.

Additionally, the city will use its resources to partner with other groups to create a 3CDC-style
building fund which, instead of funding projects for wealthy renters in OTR or the Riverfront, will
fund affordable housing designated for the majority of Cincinnati residents as identified by a
metric related to the federal poverty level.

Resources and related research:

As the housing is built, we need to keep searching for best practices around the country and
around the world, and support the developers and industries who are creating jobs and growing
the Cincinnati economy as they are adding much needed units to our housing stock.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

The City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, the Port Authority, State of Ohio, the federal
government, especially HUD, local community development corporations, Homebase, for-profit
developers, architects, bankers and foundations, the Cincinnati Business Committee and
others, housing and social services agencies each have a part in ameliorating this situation.
This includes partnership with programs that have traditionally focused on providing emergency
rental assistance or emergency shelter for those who are evicted or homeless.

29
Action 5.3: Connect youth to jobs and entrepreneurial
opportunities
Rationale:

Youth - from 12 on up - have enormous energy, and often a strong drive to earn money and
status, for themselves and their families. Without encouragement, support, and supervision,
that energy can turn to shortcuts, like selling drugs and joining gangs. Or can be short circuited
into sitting on the couch and watching TV.

SMART version:

Within a year, institute a youth entrepreneurs support program, training, shadowing

opportunities will be implemented With a class day per week, such as Public Allies provides,
their imaginations can be opened up to possible entrepreneurship opportunities, including
working with their hands and their minds to build their futures. In this time of change, building
flexibility into their career plans will be very important.

Resources and related research:

More money will be needed to bring programs up to speed, and to create generational change
in impoverished Cincinnati communities. The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, the Dater and
Haile Foundations, and several others can provide early money to ensure success. Our strong
universities have research capacity and connections to bring expertise and knowledge to bear
on the situation, as have national groups like the Ford Foundation and others.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

Many groups in Cincinnati and nationally have expertise in these areas. More money will be
important in expanding current programs, like Cincinnati Recreation’s youth employment
program, and resurrecting the Citizens Committee on Youth. Big Brothers / Big Sisters,
Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Scouts, and many others, including
school systems, and the juvenile justice system here in Hamilton County will have important
contributions to make to change the current picture. The Community Action Agency, the African
American Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Cincinnati’s Chamber,
and other groups will want to play a part in creating these programs.

Action 5.4: Supplement family income to promote healthy

development

Rationale:

Generational poverty means that families and their children are unable to take advantage of
opportunities as they present themselves. Parents who are working 3 jobs are unable to create
the home environments they know are important. A family without bus fare for the adults is not

30
going to be able to get kids to classes, training, health appointments or any other needed
service.

SMART version:

Within a year, programs supplementing family income will be implemented. Free health care at
city clinics, doubling up on food stamps, supporting the FreeStore/FoodBank, and actual cash
payments are all possibilities. Amenities like clothing, shoes, music lessons and musical
instruments, and paying required fees for sports participation could also change lives and open
the world to families. Mentoring and providing enrichment experiences are also important.

Resources and related research:

Foundations and agencies across the country have explored many of these possibilities. Good
research by universities, school systems and agencies here will turn up many possible models.
Resources to enable Cincinnati to study and institute best practices can come from foundations,
governments, and agencies here.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

Every leader and organization in Cincinnati can pitch in here, providing what they can in
resources and opportunities. Especially important will be the Child Poverty Collaborative, the
United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the Catholic Archdiocese, and the Episcopal Diocese of
Southern Ohio, as well as all other faith communities. Agencies and schools can raise funds for
scholarships, as well as being open to families other than their usual clients in their usual
communities.

Action 5.5: Proactively assist people in poverty to locate

and become involved with available programs and aid

Rationale:

When a parent is working 3 jobs, there is no way for them to keep up with jumping through all
the hoops required by social service agencies and governmental resources. Getting in line and
waiting to be called, especially during the workday, takes time those parents do not have, as
does reading the fine print to be sure what programs your children will qualify for.

SMART version:

Within 18 months, a website will be established bringing all the needed information and choices

31
to a one-stop shop, with agency representatives from all over, that is open and accessible by
phone and in person 24/7 would greatly increase the chances for very low income families to
succeed. Proactive, friendly, and supportive helpers would clear barriers for these families,
would take on the tasks of discovering and translating the minutiae in the requirements, and
would advocate for flexibility.

Resources and related research:

Many pieces of this idea already exist, and need to be expanded and supported, with agencies
and others lowering the barriers and standards for participation. Dollars will likely be required in
the beginning. This idea will save money over time and provide real and valuable support to
enable the success of many families and their children. Our university system can provide
professional assistance and needed research, bringing in resources, students, and others as
needed.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

This is another all hands-on deck situation, with many intersections and overlaps, which can be
used to exponentially increase the speed and amount of improvements. Governments,
agencies, funders, school systems, especially the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and Jobs
and Family Services of Hamilton County, will all be of critical importance.

5.6 Additional economic remedies to continue

exploring
Rationale: While the steps in this document are practical and realistic, they in no way
encompass all that can be done to address the economic inequalities that lead to gun violence.
Below are further actions that should be done, and we demand the city council and
administration explore and investigate them.

● Restore funding to the Department of Community and Economic Development

Summary: With the abysmally low level of funding, it is no surprise that the
Department of Community and Economic Development has been unable to
impact as many communities as needed. Allocating more funding allows for
more development opportunities in these neighborhoods, raising the quality of
life. Development opportunities also present an economic stimulus to the
neighborhoods they are located in and in nicer neighborhoods where residents
have their primary needs met, such as suburbs, this frequently equates to less
gun violence.
● Increase home ownership among low income communities
Summary: Home ownership creates pride and equity in a neighborhood. By
increasing the opportunity to own a home for people in low-income
neighborhoods, we decrease the crime and absentee landlord neglect that
occurs in too many majority-renter streets. By the end of calendar year 2021, the

32
 city will have created, co-sponsored, or helped fund one or more programs
designed to subsidize home purchases by first-time buyers or single-property
owners via incentive programs, matching dollar for dollar payments toward home
ownership.
● Rebuild black wealth
Summary: African Americans have a net-worth of 10% of the avg white net
worth. This has happened as a result of systemic racism in laws, the
enforcement or non-enforcement of laws, redlining, and a host of other methods,
visible and invisible, intentional and unintentional, that prevent Black from having
the same opportunities as their white peers who are in every other aspect the
same: education level, effort, experience.
● Hire people from low income neighborhoods for development
Summary: For every additional dollar spent in the local economy, it has a $1.50
impact in the local economy. This effect occurs because spending money in the
local economy can raise wages, create jobs, and increase consumer spending.

● Establish a moratorium on the destruction of low-income housing

Summary: Far too often developers have looked at certain areas of Cincinnati
as “blighted” and then leveraged large amounts of money to tear it down and
replace it with housing out of the reach of the average Cincinnatian. Until the
City can certify that it has ample housing to support 95% of its residents, the city
will pass a moratorium on the destruction of low income housing.
● Turn 100% of the buildings owned by the Port Authority into affordable housing.
Summary: The Port Authority of Cincinnati was established as an extra-
governmental body to stimulate economic growth and development for
neighborhoods in the city, many of which have been traditionally ravaged by
economic disadvantage. But as with many developing bodies in the city, the Port
Authority has done more to establish developmental opportunities that overlook
the basic needs of the communities where they are located than it has included
those communities’ needs. One of the largest needs in Cincinnati right now is
affordable housing, and the Port Authority has control over large swaths of land
development deals in neighborhoods which could greatly benefit from affordable
housing. However, it has chosen to invest in projects such as the FC Cincinnati
soccer stadium and the sale of Christian Moerlein’s former house instead. This
needs to end now. In other sections in this report the need for affordable housing
has been discussed. The Port Authority is just one body capable of making such
an investment for the community, and they need to be held accountable for this
responsibility.
● Use tax revenue to build wealth in impoverished areas of the city.
Summary: Allocating a portion of the taxes that the citizens pay can make a
huge impact on the city’s underprivileged in providing much needed educational
tools, resources, and temporary assistance to help get impoverished families
back on their feet so that they too, can be a part of contributing back into our city.

33
Initiative 6: Violence Mitigation

34
Action 6.1: Create a gun buyback program for Cincinnati
communities.
Rationale:

There are many more guns in this country than there are citizens. In many Cincinnati
neighborhoods, guns are readily available, especially to our youth. An effort in our city a few
years ago re-criminalized marijuana to enable confiscation of guns. For all the police hours and
individuals ending up with police records, only 35 guns were confiscated.

SMART version:

Within 2 years buyback programs for guns will be implemented. Research has shown that
buying back guns, from handguns right up through AK47s, will make us safer. These can be
straight money payments, with various prices for each weapon. There could be other bonuses -
erasing police records, offering better housing, providing free training and college support to
those turning in their guns. And perhaps Burger King and McDonald’s coupons. Focus groups
and national research could help determine the best incentives.

35
Resources and related research:

Cincinnati’s Dr. Victor Garcia, who has been actively working for violence reduction for many
years, and our Community Policing initiative could help provide access to many programs and
types of expertise. Many foundations and various governmental groups would provide support
to build such a project.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

The City of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Police Department, the Criminal Justice Program at the
University of Cincinnati, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, and many of its Task Forces
all would assist in building violence reduction programs.

Action 6.2: Demilitarize the police and provide

opportunities for rethinking community needs and
policing practices

Rationale:

The recent and continuing marches and protests for racial justice around the country have
shown us all how militarized our police departments are. When police have armored cars,
shields, tear gas, and supposed non-lethal firearms - which still do enormous and permanent
damage - they use them against their own citizens.

SMART version:

Within a year, the Cincinnati Police will implement programs to increase nonviolent
communication and de-escalation training, as well as implicit bias training. When the police
arrive at a situation, they need to see all the persons involved from a psychological point of view
and understand that first and foremost, all parties involved are human, with predictable human
traits and behaviors. Demilitarizing the police will make both police officers and our citizens
safer. We can also provide bonus payments to officers for additional training and education,
bonuses, or requirements for living in city neighborhoods, bonuses for changing their behavior
from warriors to guardians, and even ask them to see themselves as helpers. Approaching a
situation asking, ‘How can I help?’ could radically disrupt current policing. The collaborative
agreement also needs to be a living document, subject to changes to better correspond with the
wishes and needs of the community.

Resources and related research:

Again, Dr. Victor Garcia and our own police officials, plus many agencies, could point us toward
best practices. Working with citizens who have been in gangs can also help to change this
picture. Participants in Citizens on Patrol can educate their communities and others about
current situations, and their understandings of effective strategies. There are also likely federal
and state resources available.

36
Who is responsible / who can implement?

The City of Cincinnati City Council has already begun, by using $1 million in former police
funding for youth employment. City Council putting a priority on finalizing the new Collaborative
Agreement would be of great help, including groups already involved, and adding in the newly
revitalized Citizens Complaint Authority. The Cincinnati Police Department can join in this work
of rethinking community needs and policing practices, which will benefit all Cincinnatians.

Action 6.3: Promote policy and legal changes that

increase public safety
Rationale:

Policing is receiving increasing scrutiny in Cincinnati, and indeed all around the globe. Pictures
of police in New York City, insisting they are not creating violence, are caught repeatedly on
video, indeed creating violence. City of Cincinnati Police Officers are insisting they are just
protecting themselves when they present as fully militarized repeatedly during protests and
marches. It is clear the police belief is that we citizens, and certainly darker skinned citizens,
need control, and that is the job of the police.

SMART version:

Within 2 years, policies that ban excessive use of force and ban over policing of minor
infractions of the law will be eliminated. Citizens no longer feel our Black brothers and Sisters
need control, but need justice, and to be treated fairly. We feel the police need control, hence
the marches and protests, and the creation of the Cincinnati Racial Justice Coalition.

Resources and related research:

This is a rapidly evolving situation, with new information and ideas coming forward each day.
De-escalation and increased training are called for. The Collaborative Agreement has been in
re-negotiations and been stalled for 3 years. Options and possibilities need to be studied to
move this forward. Perhaps the newly invigorated Citizens Complaint Authority can take part in
the negotiations, and other bystanders can also participate. Some cities have begun de-funding
their departments. Cincinnati needs to open to learning about the many efforts and directions
being tried, to make sure our citizens are safe from our officers. We need to study everything.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

Cincinnati City Council, Cincinnati Police Department, Cincinnati Sentinels, the FOP Police
Union, the Black United Front, Citizens Complaint Authority, NAACP, Urban League, Baptist
Ministerial Alliance, Faith Community Alliance, and those with moral authority, including church
leaders.

37
Action 6.4: Find ways to include youth constructively in
the community and rethink juvenile justice
Rationale:

We as a culture tend to think of and treat our youth, particularly Black and poor youth,
particularly males, as potential criminals, rather than as potential productive citizens, who will
one day be responsible for Cincinnati. We treat them as a problem to be solved and controlled,
as beings whom we expect to step out of line in the next minute. And sometimes their
communities are policed with those expectations and that type of oversight. Some youth, having
that experience every day, dare to step over those lines.

SMART version:

Within 18 months, programs will be implemented that help police identify and respond to normal
childhood behavior appropriately. Police must learn about the psychology of childhood
development to better understand the behaviors of children.

When various task forces and committees convene, they must strive to include the affected
youth in the conversation, by including incentives such as free meals.

Resources and related research:

Cincinnati Recreation Commission and its neighborhood centers, community councils, school
systems, Cincinnati Park Board, our universities, and colleges. Again, with all the youth activity
centers in Cincinnati, many resources are already available, and just need to be coordinated.
Plus, our universities and funders can coordinate finding best practices and engaging new
concepts. The Dater Foundation has often supported youth and youth activities. Spaces for
kids could be made in faith communities and other institutional buildings throughout the city, as
well as parks and recreation centers.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

The City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, community councils in the 52

neighborhoods, schools, Cincinnati Park Board, Grantmakers and other funders.

Action 6.5: Review, restructure, tighten and implement

strict gun safety and ownership prevention laws.

Rationale:

Many perpetrators of gun violence should not have been able to purchase a gun in the first

38
place, but due to lax laws, loopholes, and little to no accountability within our system, they are
able to obtain one anyways. In order to better protect our citizens, we must make sure that
every person who is purchasing a gun is of sound mental capability, has no previous violent
offenses or felonies, has been trained in the use of their weapon and has a plan for safe storage
of their weapon. Additionally, if there are non felony concerns in a person’s background, such
as being accused or involved in violent offenses such as domestic violence, but the person was
found not guilty or charges were dropped to a misdemeanor, these must be investigated by an
independent investigator.

Although the lax background checks are a large part of the problem, unlicensed gun sellers also
represent a large problem with the gun purchasing system. Although the Gun Control Act of
1968 sets forth regulations for those “engaged in the business of dealing in firearms”, this does
not include those who sell guns recreationally, as a hobby, or purchase or sell guns for personal
collections. It is primarily these instances where background checks and stricter regulations
must occur to protect our citizens.

SMART version:

Within one year, the city will join 13 other states and enforce mandatory universal background
checks, regardless if the seller is licensed or unlicensed. This check must go through a central
law enforcement agency that has access to databases on both the federal and state level of
individuals not allowed to purchase. All sellers will be subject to new and stricter rules, as laid
out below.

The city will work to reduce the number of unlicensed gun sellers by 30%, continuing until all
gun sellers are licensed. Unlicensed gun sellers are among the largest perpetrators of illegal
guns and corresponding gun violence. Gun shows must be regulated to ensure all vendors and
booths are licensed sellers and therefore following all federal and state gun regulations. Fines
and various punishments need to be levied on those who continue to sell guns while unlicensed.

Also within the next year, grant gun sellers more time to conduct investigations into individuals
with concerning pasts. The current three day window is too short, and often leads to individuals
purchasing weapons before they are officially cleared to do so.

Require that all individuals who purchase a gun complete mandatory firearm training and carry it
with their gun at all times.

Require that all licensed gun sellers verify the purchaser’s identification through establishing a
verification system with state motor vehicle databases.

Require that all gun sellers keep accurate and thorough records of all gun sales and levy fines
and punishments on those who are found in violation of this. Additionally, all gun sellers must
notify local law enforcement when there has been a theft or otherwise loss of a gun from the
store.

Require purchasers to demonstrate a thorough and viable plan for safe storage of their weapon
at time of purchase, so firearms cannot fall into the hands of those prohibited from purchase.

39
Resources and related research:

According to Giffords Law Center, over 4,000 individuals who were prohibited from purchasing a
gun were able to purchase because the window on the 3 day investigation expired. A recent poll
determined 76% of Americans support extending the investigation window to 5 business days.
They also report that a national poll concluded that 83% of Americans are in favor of requiring
gun sellers to check the purchaser’s driver license against motor vehicle databases.

Giffords Law Center(GLC) also noted that since the implementation of mandatory federal
background checks in 1994, over 3 million individuals have been correctly stopped from
purchasing a gun. Additionally, states that don’t have universal background checks experience
a 30% higher rate of illegal gun exportation across state lines.

Criminals are well aware that unlicensed sellers are not required to conduct background checks.
Almost 80% of all guns obtained for illegal activities are purchased from unlicensed sellers. Of
those who were arrested for a gun offense when they were already prohibited from purchasing a
gun, 96% of those arrested individuals purchased their gun from an unlicensed seller.

“Individuals who commit crimes with firearms may intentionally seek to purchase guns from
sellers who aren’t required to run background checks” - GLC

The Research and Development Corporation (RAND Corporation) found that only 61% of gun
owners have received formal training regarding general safety and use.

Who is responsible / who can implement?

The City of Cincinnati must create these regulations that must be implemented by any person,
group, or vendor that sells firearms to another. Those in the business industries will play an
important role, ensuring that all gun sellers are licensed to do so. Local law enforcement and
the Cincinnati Health Department will also play a vital role in enforcing these regulations.

40
 Appendix 1: Neighborhoods United
participants

Note: Every effort was made to include the names of everyone who participated. Our apologies
for any unintentional omission.

Rukiye Abdul Trace Abraham Mary Aguilera Rachel Anderson

Kirk Appleton Johnny Barron Derek Bauman Shirley Blair

Eve Bolton Mark Bomar Elliot Borgatti Johnny Barron

Ben Bostic Ray Boston Jill Bowman Paul Breidenbach

Martha Brookfield Trinity Brookfield Debbie Brown Jean & Earl Brown
Enrique Byrd Dan Carlson Megan Christ Chico Converse
MaryAnne Cowgill Libbie Crawford A. Crutchfeld Crystal Dandridge
Debbie Davidson Christian Davis Crystal Davis Gabriel Davis
Rhonda Davis Jeff Dean Don Deems Michelle Dietz
Kim & Karen Dillard Bob Donovan Lara Dorenkomper Kamara Douglas

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 Lew Ebstein Marilyn Eisbrouch Lily Elfner Jocelyn Engle
Claudia Feldhaus Carla Finch Dan Fluker Robin Forde
Destiny Fordham Dominique Francisco Jessica Frank Mary Franklin

William Franklin Patricia Garry Larry Gerke Faith Gingrich-Hoetz

Charlie Green Jeffrey Groll Leslie Hamilton Rob Harris

Tony Hatten Paula Houston-Allen Elliot Jablonsky Mike Jasko

Brenda Jenkins-Brown Julien Johnson Karen Jones Jack Jose

Lisa Kenter Trish Kitchell John Klingler Amier Lane

Crystal Lane Constance Lighthall Yu Lin Amy Martin
Dontay McCall Ursula McTaggert Amanda Meek Judi Mendriski

Alean Mitchell Maddie Mitchell Maddie Mitchell Karen Montagno

India Nichols Steven Orth Carol Owens J.D. Owens
Alexandra Parks Mildred Patterson Rushde Pickens Gregg Pickett
Amy Raghuraman Marnie Renda Angela Reuss Mindy Reutter

Judith Robinson Brendon Rock Sheila Rosenthal Tracy Rossa

Craig Rozen Umerirra Savani Anne Schuster Mary Schuster
Chris Seelbach Antonio Spicer Kim Taylor Charles Thompson
Rupa Townsend Jessica Wagner Charles Wallner Nate Walton Jr
Colleen Watkins Antonio Williams Monica Williams Norell Williams
Maurice Wagoner Heather Wyatt Jermaine Williams Monica Zornetta

Appendix 2: Non-Profits

Moms Demand Action Christ Church St James Episcopal Faith & Community
Cathedral Church Alliance

Seven Hills Cease Fire One Family One Love Sentinel Police
Neighborhood House Association

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 St Joseph Catholic YMCA
Church

Appendix 3: Sources

Initiative 1: Health

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/07/01/50-killings-6-months-gun-violence-
rages-cincinnati/5354946002/

https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/gun-violence

https://www.apha.org/-/media/files/pdf/factsheets/200221_gun_violence_fact_sheet.ashx?
la=en&hash=F18D18BB89294AE9EFAA2EB5C0B00B073C65863F

https://archive.thinkprogress.org/study-americans-just-cant-afford-mental-health-

43
treatment-bf0a3c3d5b2d/

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/16/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-
in-the-u-s/

https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1285&context=carsey

https://www.mhanational.org/issues/mental-health-america-access-care-data

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/09/fewer-americans-health-insurance-2018-
report.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/07/americans-healthcare-medical-costs

https://www.wpr.org/study-links-childhood-lead-exposure-later-gun-violence

https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/health/assets/File/Lead%20Data%20Brief%20Final
%205_15_19(1).pdf

http://dropoutprevention.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/08/ACES_Cincinnati_Profile_Solutions-09-2017.pdf

Initiative 2: Education

https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2020/05/01/cincinnati-homicides-rise-by-
115-percent

https://www.evidencebasedmentoring.org/mentoring-plays-integral-role-reducing-gun-
violence-one-americas-violent-cities/

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/occupation-finder.htm

Initiative 3: Youth and Family Support

Initiative 4: Social and Spiritual

https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/01/06/can-gun-violence-be-traced-back-to-
socioeconomic-root-causes/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/arms-control/gun-violence/

Initiative 5: Economics

Initiative 6: Violence Mitigation

https://lawcenter.giffords.org/gun-laws/policy-areas/background-checks/universal-

44
background-checks/

https://lawcenter.giffords.org/gun-laws/policy-areas/background-checks/background-
check-procedures/

https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/analysis/firearm-safety-training-
requirements.html

45