When asked whether they thought Toledo’s gun-violence issue could be solved, almost no students at Scott High School said yes.
Close to 100 students at the school crowded into the second-floor auditorium on Friday as part of a community forum led by the Coalition for Peaceful Toledo Neighborhoods. The coalition, an effort led by Toledo’s four living former mayors, aims to address violent crime through community engagement and the block watch program.
Scott High School was the coalition’s first stop, as far as school visits went. They had a handful of other community meetings at other locations previously, but none had more than a few young people in the audience.
“What we need here is young people,” said Kim Baker, who helped coordinate the Scott High School event. “There are no young people coming to these meetings, and we need to have the input from you guys. So we’re bringing the forum to you.”
Three of the four former mayors also met earlier that morning in the Old West End to call for a resurgence of the block watch program, which has deteriorated significantly in recent years. What used to be made up of nearly 300 neighborhood watch units has dwindled to somewhere in the 40s.
The coalition began in October to gather community input and address concerns about high crime rates. Led by Michael Bell, Carty Finkbeiner, and Donna Owens, the group plans to address the Toledo City Council’s public safety committee on Tuesday about introducing more funding for block watch.
“The number one issue that has come up every time we’ve had meetings is the block watch,” Mr. Bell said. “Council has an initiative that they’re trying to move forward on, and we fully endorse that initiative, but what we want to do is make sure that they put in some form of progressive block watch.”
The coalition’s members want city council to make a significant financial investment in restoring the block watch program.
“Everything is just talk until you put money to it,” Mr. Bell added. “And what we anticipate is that to do this type of program very well in the city of Toledo, we need at least $150,000-$250,000 allocated in next year’s budget toward that particular program. In doing that, I think that we will be able to get the neighbors and the communities involved and starting to work together again.”
Mr. Finkbeiner noted that in all the community meetings and all the surveys sent out to residents and students, almost 80 percent of responses mentioned some form of block watch or community watch.
“Far and away, the most mentioned item is block watch — the concept of the police and citizens of all the neighborhoods working together,” he said. “Citizens felt more comfortable when that was a part of the neighborhood that they live in. Put your money where your mouth is.”
Both Mr. Finkbeiner and Ms. Owens used the Old West End as an example of how a community can thrive when neighbors watch out for each other.
“Where we’re standing, the Old West End, they look out for each other,” Mr. Finkbeiner said. “We need to see that replicated. A neighborhood watch program — aggressive and progressive — boosted by the city of Toledo and citizens, can make a difference. But money is needed to oomph it forward.”
Regarding Scott High School students, only 50 percent answered that they felt safe in their community in the coalition’s survey. Of those that felt unsafe, almost three-quarters said it was because of violence and shootings.
Still, when Joe Peterson, the school’s HUB director, asked students to raise their hands if they felt the violence could be solved, only a few arms hesitantly rose.
“Here’s what I wanna say to you guys,” Mr. Bell said, addressing the crowd of students. “I feel bad that you don’t think that we can stop the shooting.”
When asked why they believed the problem was unsolvable, several students spoke up, voicing their belief that people, in general, weren’t willing to put in the effort needed for things to change. The violence was a cycle — and one that only ended in death.
“Eventually, we do not want young people in Toledo, in Ohio, in America to feel like they’re no longer going to exist because of this cycle of violence,” Mr. Peterson said. “We want to figure out how to stop this cycle.”
“We’re here because we’re concerned about the violence in our community,” Ms. Owens said. “And if we could eliminate the violence, or at least have some impact, we’ll all be happier.”
The three past mayors stood firm in their belief that a block watch could curb the violence. But a wedge was driven between the mayors and the students — the inclusion of police.
Not a single student in the auditorium raised their hands when asked if they viewed the police in a positive way. Accusations echoed from corners of the room — “they don’t have consequences for their actions,” “they think they’re above the law.” The students were divided on whether they believed police and community relationships could be improved.
“Part of it requires that you gotta believe in the system, that we can do something to help you,” Mr. Bell said. “The only reason we’re here today is that we believe in you, and we know that if we don’t fix this, this is part of your future. So give us an opportunity to try to fix it, but the only way we can do it is if you help us.”
First Published December 2, 2022, 8:49 p.m.
