Community Police Partnering Center

Supporting Communities in Problem Solving

Press Release

       MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Media Contacts:     Richard Biehl, Executive Director                                   Patricia Milton, President

                                 Community Police Partnering Center                           Avondale Community Council

                                 Phone: (513) 602-4435                                                  Phone: (513) 281-4430

                                 Email: rbiehl@gcul.org                                                           Email: patriciamilton@msn.com

 

AVONDALE UNVEILS CAMPAIGN TO “STOP THE SHOOTING!”

ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th

CoMMUNITY residents, aGencies & CRIMINAL JUSTICE PERSONNEL COLLABORATE TO KICK-OFF initiative To end gun violence 

 

CINCINNATI, OH – The Avondale community, in partnership with several Cincinnati service providers, community agencies, faith-based leaders and criminal justice personnel will unveil CeaseFire Cincinnati to the public in a series of community events held Saturday, September 30^th, 2006 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM .

 

CeaseFire Cincinnati is based on the CeaseFire Chicago model, a comprehensive campaign that has gained national recognition due to the significant reductions in shootings and homicide in its target neighborhoods. CeaseFire Cincinnati is a strategic, multi-pronged strategy that relies on five core components: Youth Outreach and Intervention of High-Risk Youth and Families; Collaboration between Criminal Justice Agencies and personnel; Community Mobilization to respond to shootings within 72 hours of an incident; Public Education to change attitudes and behaviors about gun violence, and Faith-Based Leadership to engage the faith community as a moral voice to challenge the norms about gun violence in Avondale. 

 

Through the Avondale Community Council, the Avondale community embraced the CeaseFire Cincinnati concept due to the impact of gun violence in this District 4 community. As of September 26, 2006 there have been 66 homicides in the city of Cincinnati this year – 24 of these deaths have occurred since June 1st – and four of these deaths have occurred in Avondale. The Avondale community has demonstrated the capability and community capacity to pilot CeaseFire Cincinnati, having in place a group of committed and concerned citizens and supporting agencies already working to take a stand against gun violence.

 

The September 30^th public unveiling of CeaseFire Cincinnati will begin with community walks stepping off at 2:00 PM from three different Avondale locations: 1) Reading Rd. and Martin Luther King Drive, 2) Martin Luther King Park, located at the corner of Reading and Burton Drive, and 3) The Avondale Pride Center located at 3520 Burnet Ave (at the corner of Burnet and Forest). Each group will canvass a segment of the neighborhood, sharing information about CeaseFire Cincinnati and inviting residents to become part of the ongoing campaign.  The walks will converge at 2:45 PM at the Avondale Pride Center, 3520 Burnet Ave., where citizens and CeaseFire partner organizations will participate in a Press Conference and community event against gun violence. Representatives of the media are encouraged to attend these events. Please check in at the Press Table upon arrival.