DAYTON — As the Dayton community marks two years since nine people were killed in a mass shooting in the Oregon District, community leaders and resident discuss the progress being made to build a permanent memorial for the victims.
While green space at the western end of the Oregon District had been previously donated, the committee spearheading the memorial’s plans is just getting into place.
Dayton Mayor, Nan Whaley said memorials like these take time and planners lost a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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“We are unpacking a lot of pain from the 2019 shooting,” Whaley said.
Whaley told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell said the Downtown Dayton Partnership is helping guide the process. The partnership’s leaders said the committee was now finalized and made up of family members, victims, survivors of the shooting, as well as Oregon District residents and business leaders.
Parvis Khosranvani, of Dayton, said he supports the committee taking their time to get the memorial right.
“You want to make sure they’re not harming anyone or stepping on any toes that way, make sure victims families are healed,” Khosranvani said.
Whaley said the memorial will take “as long as its going to take.”
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“We have to be patient in that process,” Whaley said.
These types of memorial are known to take time. The committee for 2012′s Sandy Hook Shooting just released artist conceptions for a memorial.
While plans for a permanent memorial are still in the works, temporary memorials were set up Wednesday to remember the nine victims that lost their lives.
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