CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Police data shows the West End is a hotspot for gun violence, with 18 shootings so far this year — one of which took place just before 1 a.m. Friday.
The West End Community Council is working with several different groups to change that.
"We follow the priorities of the neighborhood and they're saying they want it to stop and not be scared of coming out of their apartment," said Andria Carter with the Community Partnering Center.
She's been working in the West End for more than three years trying to stop gun violence by addressing conditions that lead to violence.
"We've been able to concentrate on litter, more lighting," she said.
They're also working to increase visibility by cutting back trees, adding more cameras and making current cameras more visible.
Keith Blake, safety committee chair of the West End Community Council, said this is just one strategy they've implemented.
"We have our monthly safety sector meetings with the police department," he said.
The CPD program, PIVOT, is also active in the neighborhood. PIVOT stands for Place-based Investigations of Violent Offender Territories and is a program that teams law enforcement officers with property owners and city departments to target known crime problem spots.
CPD data shows the program significantly reduced shootings in parts of Over-the-Rhine last year.
In the West End, the partnership with police continues beyond PIVOT.
"The results from police investigations help us understand why an incident occurred," Blake said. "And once we get a better understanding of why they do what they do, then you can develop strategies to address it."
There's also a broader network working with some Cincinnati neighborhoods to address gun violence called the Community Peace Builder Network.
"What we want to do is bring them around the table and build what we call an ecosystem. Through that ecosystem we put together all of the components that basically address the issue and make sure that we're supporting each of those levels," Pastor Ennis Tait said.
The network is currently in East Westwood, Winton Terrace and Avondale. It works with individuals and groups that are already in the neighborhood doing anti-gun violence work but gives them additional resources.
Tait said their goal is to expand into OTR and the West End by the end of the year.
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