LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No More Red Dots is addressing gun violence one block at a time, they are approaching young people at the beginning stages of intervention and before arguments turn lethal.
"It's probably more important now than what it’s ever been because were confronting it straight on. We identify who the shooters are, and we approach them about doing something differently," Dr. Eddie Woods, No More Red Dots CEO, said.
The organization is calling on community leaders and residents to join their peace watch to reduce violence in the Russell, Portland, California, Newburg and Shawnee neighborhoods.
They want community members to join the peace coalition where they will be trained how to identify issues in order to have a safer neighborhood.
"We figured that if we have five communities working on peace and they're doing similar things based on the fact of what is differences in neighborhoods," Woods said.
Tim Findley Jr. is the CEO of Elderserve in west Louisville. The organization opened its doors to serve as hub for the community to learn more about this program.
"If we're really going to deal with this violence issue, it's going to have to be everybody at the table and I think that this provides that opportunity,” he said.
Findley said Elderserve understands that community violence is an issue in the city and their needs to be a strategy to reduce it.
"We need a plan that is going to be based on data we need people like Dr. Woods who are doing the work that can really help us formulate that plan and implement it so that we see a safer community," he said.
There will be monthly meetings in each neighborhood with coalitions creating ideas to prevent violence.
"I think it's more rooted on what the people want to do in the communities in the neighborhoods then enact on what kind of activities that can go forth from that," Marcus Stubbs, a resident, said.
They aren't giving up, even though they are frustrated with the continued escalation of violence in the city.
More information on No More Red Dots can be found here.
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