EUCLID, Ohio — People across Cleveland, Northeast Ohio and the country are calling for help as communities seek to end the rising gun violence. That call was put to action on Friday at the Euclid Peacemakers Bootcamp.
According to the most recent crime statistics, with information as recently as Aug. 26, 2023, there have been 103 reported homicides with firearms involved this year—up 11.96% from last year. There have also been a reported 546 robberies with guns and 822 felonious assaults with firearms in 2023, both stats up nearly 12% from last year.
The problem is being felt by people all over.
"I think it's heartbreaking. Even when I listen to my mother, she has stories about her childhood. The problems are still there from generation to generation, the systemic problems are still there, the oppression is still there," said Myesha Watkins, the executive director of Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance. "Every season becomes a season that we have to dread now because the number one cause of premature death for all kids and teens is gun violence."
That's exactly what organizers and participants of the Euclid Peacemakers Bootcamp aimed to address.
The event, hosted by the Euclid Task Force, saw people from national groups like Live Free USA come out to share resources on community crime and violence prevention and teach lessons for people looking to make change.
Inside the event at Grace Community Church, police officers, community members, leaders, parents and youth came together to hear testimony from people already making change in hopes of expanding it across this area.
Organizers said there are plenty of lessons for everyone of all ages, but for many, the next generation is top of mind.
Kaveon Pearsall, a 16-year-old from Cleveland, was one of the young people in attendance Friday. He hoped to learn lessons that steer him and his peers in a positive direction.
"I feel like people got potential to do anything they want in life. And they choose to do the whole opposite," Pearsall said. "What's so important is you can learn a lot from this; that's what's important. That's the most important thing is learning."
Pearsall said he thinks the main takeaway is how to learn how to handle emotions and situations in a way that doesn't involve violence. He said efforts like the ones on Friday have impacted him greatly.
"They've been helping me, I've been going to church, I've been going Peacemakers. They helped me, so if they can help me out, I know they can help other people," he said.
Organizers said there are plenty of ways to be active in the community, from mentoring and outreach to simply positive interaction with neighbors—but the key to spreading peace, they said, is to show love.
"Love is always received. You just got to know how to show. So I hope they show that," said Taneika Hill, Co-Founder of Hope Task Force.
The Euclid Peacemakers Bootcamp began Thursday and continues Friday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The event is free, but registration is required. To learn more, click here.
As these efforts continue, the community is hopeful that they will be successful and peace will come.
"I'm hopeful that the work that I do will allow my daughters to be safe in the city of Cleveland or anywhere," Watkins said. "My hope is that everybody here has someone that they love, and they are carrying the same hope for them."
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
