The Cincinnati Public Schools and Cincinnati City Council’s Healthy Neighborhoods Council committee convened yesterday to tackle the pressing issue of youth violence prevalent near transit centers in the city. According to a report by
WLWT
, the conversation focused on exploring solutions for hiring more crossing guards and addressing violence around the transit hubs. Last month, WLWT observed CPS students engaging in misconduct at the Oakley Metro Transit Center, which is a hub for many school bus routes. This culminated in over 70 youth-involved incidents and multiple arrests this year.
The city’s law enforcement has been significantly burdened, with Police Chief Terri Theetge highlighting an expenditure of more than $400,000 on overtime for officers tasked with managing these conflicts. “If we don’t come up with a more plausible solution mark my word, something critical is going to happen and everyone is going to point the finger at the police,” Theetge cautioned in a statement obtained by
WLWT
. Meanwhile, volunteers from community organizations have been present at transit centers, stepping in to mitigate immediate problems.
During the Thursday meeting, as
FOX19
reports, Iris Roley, a consultant to the City Manager, addressed the root causes of violence at locations such as Government Square. “You will see the homelessness. You will see the hunger. You will see the frustration,” Roley said. She pointed out that while arrests might have decreased due to community efforts, fundamental problems like food insecurity, housing, and mental health access persisted. The joint effort led to a planned expansion of the Alternative Response to Crisis model, with the Emergency Communications Center set to hire new community responders.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge echoed a similar sentiment regarding the complexity of this issue at the aforementioned meeting, as detailed by
WCPO
. Theetge stated, “There’s got to be a solution to this. It cannot be police every day at the forefront of this,” calling for more responsible adult supervision for the students and urging haste in finding immediate, effective strategies.
Updates on the implementation of long-term initiatives were also provided.
Per a
WCPO
interview, Vice-Mayor Jan-Michelle Lemon Kearney
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discussed past support, including funds for compensating volunteers and feeding young people, and expressed openness to allocating more resources if needed. Bill Vedra, Director of the Emergency Communications Center, informed us about the upcoming 12-person team of community responders deployed in transit centers to assist police and volunteers. In an environment demanding comprehensive strategies, from affordable housing to poverty alleviation programs, the collective aim is to ensure safety and prevent youth violence in Cincinnati’s public spaces.
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