The NAACP Dayton Branch gathered to talk about what’s causing kids in Dayton to become violent.
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News Center 7’s Taylor Robertson hears why officials think there is continued youth violence in the city LIVE on News Center 7 at 11:00.
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They say ten of the 40 homicide victims in Dayton last year were 18 years old or younger.
NAACP Dayton Branch President Derrick Forward says the youth violence problem became a major focus over the past year.
Efforts to make a change picked up after a mass shooting on Home Avenue left half a dozen teens hurt and two people dead last year.
NAACP Dayton Branch Health Committee Chairman Dr. Morris Brown led the meeting, where a panel of experts all shared what they believe is contributing to the violence.
“We decided to be proactive and show the community what is available now,” Brown says. “This society that we live in now is teaching them not to fear death, which is not good because then it results to reckless behavior.”
Mayor Jeffrey Mims was on the panel and announced that the Hope Peace Initiative, which includes the Cure Violence Global Program, will be ready to go in the next weeks.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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