19-05-2025
Linden anti-violence efforts ready for summer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As the weather in central Ohio is getting warmer, community organizations are getting ready to host events to help make Columbus safer.
'Oh, it should be jam-packed tomorrow,' said Derrick Russell, founder of Linden Community Stop The Violence.
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He spoke with NBC4 on the eve of an End Gun Violence Community Walk. The walks bring together community members and several organizations in Linden. They've become a sort of tradition in recent years, and Russell helps lead them.
'When we first started, the doors were closed; now they come out on the porch, walk with us, talk with us, but we need more, we need more,' Russell said.
The first walk of the year was supposed to take place May 12, but it was cancelled because of rain. Russell said because of that, there's even more excitement for the walk on May 19. During the walks, the organizations move around neighborhoods in the area to connect residents with help or resources they might need.
'The most powerful success story I can think of is that I actually met three gang members,' Russell said. 'They were gang members, we invited them out to the walk, they end up coming to the walk, they saw the collaboration of different people and then they stopped being in the gang, and to this day, I have them working with me.'
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Homicide numbers are down in Columbus compared to recent years. But Monday's walk will happen a bit after a recent spike in deadly violence. There have been more homicides in May than in any other month in 2025.
'That's a reminder we've got to continue to stay out here and we can't just sit back,' Russell said. 'That's just a reminder that we've got to get out here and hopefully, in June, that it'll go back down and we won't have that same number.'
The groups that organize the walks are planning to have two a month through October.
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