TOLEDO, Ohio — For Toledo City Council member Cersandra McPhereson, the recent violence on Monday, when three killings occurred, is hard to process.
"We have gone weeks without a murder, and then you hit a weekend and it's like, 'did you hear about this murder? Did you hear about this murder? Did you hear about this shooting?'" McPhereson said.
Looking at the statistics, city leaders said that violence is actually on the decline in Toledo, with 12 homicides so far this year compared to 19 at the same time in 2021.
Toledo's Safety Director Brian Byrd, said the city's Cure Violence Program has been a particular success. It centers around violence interrupters speaking with community members in the Junction/Englewood area of central Toledo, an area that has struggled with violent crime.
"Those young men and women that are out talking to our young people, that are out there on the streets building relationships, that's gonna be key. Building trust in the community, that's key," McPhereson said.
One of Monday's shootings happened on Lagrange Street, in north Toledo. Director Byrd said that's where he wants to install another team of violence interrupters. He intends to also hire a third team to operate out of east Toledo.
They'll respond to the families of victims of gun violence, go to community meetings and work to help people find peaceful solutions. Chief Byrd said their mission is to help bring hope back to communities that don't have it.
"Interrupting violence isn't just about preventing retaliation, it's putting in the steps to prevent the shot from happening at all," Byrd said.
Director Byrd said before anyone else can be hired, he must first find a replacement for the violence interrupters' former leader, JoJuan Armour. He said he expects to find a replacement within the next 30 days.