Greg Jackson spoke out in Toledo after two fatal shootings hit public housing complexes in two weeks. The Toledo Violence Reduction Council is now studying root causes and community resources to stop future killings.
Jaylin Ash, 23, was shot and killed Sept. 27 at the Park Apartments. Jermaine Smith, 52, died in a shooting Sunday at the Weiler Homes. Both incidents happened within two weeks.
Greg Jackson lost his 17-year-old daughter, Zayona, at the Weiler Homes on July 13. He said he lives with the pain of gun violence every single day.
“That night we will never forget it,” Jackson said. He asked how the community can connect local youth to needed resources.
Rachael Gardner with the YWCA of Northwest Ohio described recent efforts with young residents. She said the team maps safe spaces across Toledo neighborhoods.
Gardner said the group examines data where high rates of violence occur. The council reviews neighborhood blight, police calls for service and domestic violence reports.
“What do we know about blight in the community, calls for service in the community, shootings in the community? Where are those happening? And we’ve taken a look over the last couple months at different places where we see really high rates of that, and providers like the YWCA are coming in to say, ‘Okay, not only do we see that there were calls for service for a shooting, but how much domestic violence is happening there? What’s the neighborhood look like around there?’” said Gardner. “Then that leads to conversations about who does services there. Sometimes the answer is, ‘Oh, nobody.’”
Jackson said families want action to prevent more lives from being lost. Violence affects entire neighborhoods.
“Why does it got to come that we have to keep coming to death around our community to be able to at least wake up,” Jackson said.
Community violence intervention groups review local crime patterns to connect residents with social services. Local councils bring together advocates, youth and service providers to address safety needs.
Members at the gathering shared a common goal of zero homicides in Toledo.
