The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office is investigating a deadly shooting Wednesday on Cleveland's east side involving an off-duty Cleveland police officer.
It brings up concerns about violence moving into the summer months.
There are a lot of people and organizations working every day in the city's East Side neighborhoods to reduce and prevent violence, including indirectly.
Churches, like Pilgrim Church of Christ at 616 E. 105th St. in Glenville, focus on meeting the immediate needs in the community to strengthen connections and reduce risk factors.
I talked with Pastor Wes Ransom Thursday.
"Food outreach, hot-meal outreach, clothing drives," said Ransom. "Just to be a resource in the community with so many types of assistance in addition to prayer and just being an ear for people to talk to and escape from life's troubles and that kind of thing."
He said he goes door to door to meet people and ask what they need.
He tells me these neighborhoods and churches are filled with people who've lived there for decades and care deeply about them.
He said he also regularly meets with area partner churches to discuss needs and concerns, and how they can assist one another.
"So often what we hear about is the bad," said Ransom. "What I would like the Glenville and surrounding communities to know is that there is a place where people can come and get help, and prayer, there still are people who live to help people and who live to be God's actual hands and feet and that's what we strive to be. We want to be a blessing to people just like Jesus did."
