WALNUT HILLS, OH ( FOX19) -
As the family of
shooting victim Christopher Williams laid the young man to rest Friday,
community leaders highlighted ongoing efforts to improve the Walnut Hills area
to bring long-term positive change.
"Right now I'm angry but
we need to come together," said Shequita Lail, aunt of the victim.
"It takes a village,"
echoed her sister Marquita Barron. "We used to all do that, and that's what we
are going to do now."
The family of
Christopher Williams who was shot and killed on Park Avenue last week vowed to
join the fight against gun violence.
"Christopher did not die
in vain," Barron said. "We're not going to let that happen. We are five sisters
strong."
"We're ready to put an
end to this," Lail emphasized.
Outside of the funeral
Friday stood a group of men who are already warriors in the ongoing effort to
curb crime.
"We need to do it
collectively from all aspects of the community," CIRV team leader Aaron Pullins
said.
CIRV, or the Cincinnati
Initiative to Reduce Violence, helps de-escalate tense situations like the one
following Friday's shooting. The ultimate goal, however, is prevention.
"Young men need jobs,
education. They need resources to assist them in terms of changing," Pullins
told FOX19.
As Walnut Hills Area
Council President, Clarence Taylor is looking to bring change in a different
way.
"I'm looking at all
those units you see with the windows out, people living in them," Clarence
Taylor said pointing to a block of historic buildings on McMillan in Walnut
Hills.
Taylor is a part on a
larger effort that includes the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation that is
looking to revitalize the business district.
Raised in Walnut Hills,
Taylor says he is invested for the long-haul.
"What Walnut Hills is
doing is we're recapturing what every good community should be doing," Taylor
said. "By doing that we're keeping a clean place, we're trying to keep it safe
and by keeping it safe we want to get buildings safe as well."
With money already set
aside to renovate six historic buildings, he sees revitalization as a ray of
hope for people living in the community.
"Hopefully when these
businesses get developed they can work in these businesses, they might be able
to work in the development of it."
While some might see the
neighborhood through the lens of the latest headline, Taylor sees a bigger
picture.
"You don't want that to
occur, you don't want the perception to re-occur because we've gone through
this and it's gotten so much better," he said.
"People can't be
observing anymore, they've got to participate," encouraged Barron.
Taylor says
stabilization work on the historic buildings will begin this spring.
According to the latest
crime statistics, violent crime actually went down last year in District 4 over
the previous year.
Shooting scene on Park Ave. last Friday where Christopher Williams was killed
Walnut Hills Area Council President, Clarence Taylor, hopes to bring change to business district
FOX19-WXIX
