LOUISVILLE, Ky. — During a press conference Wednesday morning, new Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the homicide rate in the first two weeks of the new year is not acceptable, and it’s a top priority for his organization.
Greenberg was joined by Jason Buckner, whose brother was killed on Jan. 3. Jeremiah Buckner performed under the name "Ekoe" as a member of the hip-hop group Linkin' Bridge.
Greenberg and Buckner both stressed that there is only one team. The team to end violence. And everyone is on that team.
"You have conflict with your family. You have conflict with your colleagues at work. You have conflict everywhere. It just doesn't want to get to the point where it gets violent or deadly, especially in neighborhoods where it can," Anthony Howard said.
He's the founder of A-One All-Stars, an after-school tutoring and mentoring program. He says he knows his program works because of the kids that come back years later with their families.
Howard has been running his Portland neighborhood program for 17 years. Kids get help with their school work, do volunteer activities, practice conflict resolution and get to play sports afterward as a reward.
He also works in close collaboration with the Police Activities League (PAL), and Developing Educated Leaders Through Athletics (DELTA).
While he feels he’s leaving a legacy, he knows the city is hurting right now.
“You have 10 kids that go this way and do the same thing. Next thing you know, after 17 years, you have thousands of kids doing the same thing,” he said. “That’s how you change the culture.”
Howard was traveling Wednesday and was not able to watch the press conference live. But working in the community for almost two decades, he is very familiar with these themes.
WHAS11 showed him a snippet of the press conference, including the part where Greenberg said he is going to call a community meeting.
“In the coming days, we’re going to convene a community-wide meeting. A community-wide – not just conversation – but action-oriented discussion about everyone who wants to be a part of the solution, can and should be doing to stop the violence,” he said.
Howard says someone from A-One All-Stars and DELTA will be at the meeting, and he is hopeful the new mayor's approach will work.
“We are not going to say that we’re not going to be part of somebody that’s trying to find a solution. You gotta give somebody a chance," Howard said.
Greenberg says if there are any community organizations fighting against violence that want to attend the meeting, call Metro 311 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays or at 502-574-2003.
Howard says now, Greenberg’s meeting is just a planned discussion but hopes it will lead to action.
On the topic of everyone being involved in change, Howard says people need to look inward and see how they can help.
"The very first thing I tell everybody is you can't take somebody else's hurt from them. And so you don't know their story. Secondly is, find an organization to be a part of," he said. "It could be somewhere in your neighborhood that you're affecting right there, where you live at. I don't care if it's Lake Forest, or if it's the West End."
He added everyone should also be cognizant of the pain victims of violence feel.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.