AKRON, Ohio — Roy Bell Jr. is a standout football player at Garfield High School in Akron, and he has a bright future ahead of him.
He's heading to the University of Akron in the fall on a scholarship, and he understands the importance of mentors.
"I think it's really important for a lot of youth to get some good guidance in general," Bell said.
With that said, the teen believes Akron's new Street Team program could be a key way to provide guidance to at-risk teens or young adults, especially when it comes to avoiding gun violence.
"That's probably one of the biggest things in America, in general, but at a smaller scale in Akron for sure— to cut down on violence, but especially gun violence," Bell said.
City leaders said the Street Team, first announced in the spring of 2024, is off to a good start.
Three "credible messengers", two full-time and one part-time, have been hired and are employed by Minority Behavioral Health.
They've had prior involvement with the criminal justice system, but have since turned their lives around, and therefore, offer street credibility to keep others from making bad choices.
"These are folks who want to add to the community, no longer take from it," said Akron Public Safety Strategist Tony Ingram.
Since the Street Team officially launched a few months ago, the messengers have met with 30 violent offenders or those at-risk for offending.
They've also made about 40 visits to at-risk youth at hospitals, juvenile courts and prisons.
Ingram said the work focuses on mentorship and violence interruption, and he believes some of the interventions may have already prevented shootings and possibly murders.
"Absolutely, 100%," he said.
While the pilot program is untraditional, Bell believes interacting with reformed people can go a long way in helping others.
"They've changed their life. They've reached that higher stage, so I think that's a great way to step outside the box, think outside the box," Bell said.
Across Akron, violent crime in most categories is down compared to this time last year. City leaders believe the work of the Street Team could be one reason why.
"We think a lot of the work that we're doing within our police department and across our community is hopefully driving some of these trends that we're seeing in crime statistics," said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik.
The program is expected to last at least 18 months, but within a year, the city will evaluate it and determine if the Street Team should be expanded.
"The end all be all is the results, so if they do this program and they see good results, they should definitely continue the program," Bell said.
