It’s important to hear residents’ ideas on how to stop violence, Dayton Mayor Mims says

DAYTON — Residents who turned out Thursday night for a conversation about how to stop the gun violence that has become a continuing concern in Dayton excited Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr.

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He said he was excited for the conversation, billed “Stop the Violence,” because it is important to hear from residents. Those voices will give him a better understanding about how to put the discussions into action. The mayor took the opportunity to present his violence reduction program, which focuses on giving young people an outlet to express their feelings and concerns.

“We have been continuously working on this whole youth violence issue, the violence interruption program, probably more than about a year and a half ago,” Mims said, noting he understands that people are frustrated.

“We’re pretty much on track to talk about presenting this program, to talk about the funding issues we need to try to develop to make sure we can pay for it,” Mims said.

Former Trotwood Mayor Mary McDonald, who attended the community conversation at Omega Baptist Church, said asking for new taxes to pay for such a program is not necessary.

“Say the beginning of change is prioritizing the dollars that we have,” she said. “Is not necessarily asking for new tax dollars, but using the dollars that we have in the way of priority.”

Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal showed the gathering several slides of statistics his department has gathered that show incidents of crime were trending down in the last five years until this year. The numbers show that about 40 percent of the crimes committed from 2018 - 2023 were against black men ages 18 to 24.

The issue, the chief said, is getting to the root of the violent crime problem.

“The answer isn’t to pick up a gun or a stick. It’s to talk it out and then talk to somebody else,” Afzal said. “If you’re young, talk to an adult, saying, ‘How do I deal with a conflict that I have?’ "

One teenager in attendance said he knows where some of the problems start.

“The majority of them don’t have a good outlet to talk to people, and they don’t really have a good mentor,” said the teen who identified himself as Joseph. " So I’m curious, what would you be doing about that?”

Mims told News Center 7 he will issue a statement by the end of summer that addresses when the community will see his violence reduction program begin.

According to statistics gathered by the police department:

* There have been nearly 300 violent crimes -- murder, rape, armed robbery -- so far this year.

* The count is about 50 more incidents than the same time in 2023.

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