05-03-2025
Dayton begins new peace campaign to combat violence
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The city of Dayton is hitting the ground running to combat violence and spread peace in 2025.
On Tuesday, 2 NEWS joined the city for a ride-along through areas of Dayton seeing an increase in violence, speaking with residents and officials to learn what's next for the Dayton Peace Campaign.
The city of Dayton is taking a holistic approach on violence with the help of Cure Violence Global, an organization that compares community violence to an epidemic, treating it as a disease that Dayton residents say urgently needs to be cured.
'I'm hoping that this helps. I've seen the neighborhood go from being quiet to now being active with a lot of violence,' said Terri Sims, Playtime Nursery School.
In 2024, more than 160 crimes involving firearms happened in the city of Dayton. Some of those were fatal, with 10 juveniles becoming victims of murder or nonnegligent manslaughter.
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These homicides, robberies and violent actions riddle the entire city, including neighborhoods like Residence Park.
'That it poses a problem for people that live in the neighborhood, especially for seniors and for children, to have this type of violence going on,' said Sharon Mitchell, president of Residence Park Neighborhood Association. 'So we just want to make sure that we can contain it and then make sure we can build our community back up.'
Both Terri Sims and Sharon Mitchell are staples in Residence Park — Sims is the owner and CEO of the neighborhood's only early childcare center, and Mitchell is president of the neighborhood association.
Both say they support the city's new peace campaign to end the growing violence they've seen.
'Yeah, it's a holistic approach of the community. Mediation is a huge part of this,' said Chris Shaw, Dayton City Commissioner. 'Mental health is another huge part of this neighborhood engagement to change the tone, to say this community does not want violence.'
The $438,000 peace campaign is different from other programs the city has used in the past. This time, the city is hoping to reduce homicide rates and gun violence numbers by using a community violence interruption, youth development and community engagement as the solution.
Cure Violence Global tackles violence in the same way health officials tackle an epidemic, using public health instead of law enforcement to combat what they call the 'deadly disease of violence.'
By partnering with Cure Violence Global, Dayton will be putting trained community workers on the ground to mediate. And Cure Violence leaders say this model has worked.
'Our first year in Chicago, we've seen over 50 percent reduction in homicides and shootings,' said Quinones Corniel, Cure Violence Global regional director. 'You think about our track record in New York, in Baltimore, Philadelphia. We've had massive reductions in shootings, in conflicts and in homicides.'
The program requires long term investment and commitment from both community and city leaders, all working together to bring that worldwide impact to Dayton neighborhoods as well.
Sims says its about more than just hope for a better tomorrow.
'I got a positive energy coming out of what's happening,' said Sims.
Tuesday was day one of three — the assessment of city data during the ride-along. Now, Cure Violence Global will begin analyzing to determine the best fit for Dayton.
Click to learn more about the Dayton Peace Campaign and Cure Violence Global.
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