LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) held it's first "Reports to the Community" Wednesday for the Russell, California, and Parkland neighborhoods.
It was the first of the monthly forums that are aimed at communities that are most impacted by gun violence.
OSHN reported Louisville has seen a 35% reduction in shootings over the last two years. Despite this, leaders said there is still work to be done.
"Are our numbers too high? Absolutely," OSHN Director Paul Callanan said. "Is that comforting to people that have lost family members? No. Is it comforting to people that live in communities that experience a large number of violence? No. But we have to remember that what we're doing is effective and we're moving in the right direction."
Callanan is trying to stay ahead of the curve, by going to Louisville neighborhoods to share OSHN programs, report what trends they are seeing, and have conversations with residents who are impacted the most by the violence.
"It has to start with those in the community because they know what's working and they know what's not working," said Rob Jones, who was born in the Russell neighborhood. "You'll see a lot things that's being done or taking place that is deterring and also preventing."
Peer Support Specialist Quantez Gibson attended the forum to make sure all voices were seen and heard.
"My concerns with the community are very real. I grew up in the west end, Shawnee areas and I want to see a change. The whole mindset needs to change," Gibson said. "A lot of young guys, they're not being reached and I want to reach them and help them come to that change. I believe in a lot of programs OSHN has going on and I like them reaching out to the community because that's what needs to be done."
So far in 2024, there have been 16 shootings in the Russell neighborhoods, two in California, and three in Parkland, according to the Louisville Metro Gun Violence Dashboard.
But, Callanan said these numbers don't show the whole picture.
"You look at measuring crime statistics for neighborhoods or locations. You need to look at a bigger, longer period of time and just say this time last year we had seven shooters, this time we have this much, and we're projecting it's going to go higher...that's a false reading because anything can happen. Gun violence is so complex," he said.
Over the last two years, OSHN has implemented around 60 new programs to address gun violence.
Callanan sees the city going in the right direction, but sees more progress in the future if the community and organizations continue to work together.
"Gun violence impacts every single person that lives in Louisville. Whether you live in a neighborhood that's heavily impacted by gun violence, whether you live on the outskirts and you're fearful to go downtown or to other neighborhoods," he said.
The next OSHN "Reports to the Community" will be next month for the Shawnee and Chickasaw neighborhoods.
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