COLUMBUS – City and community leaders hope a new anti-violence initiative will mobilize residents of Columbus to put pressure on state lawmakers to strengthen Ohio’s gun laws.
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin and Councilmember Emmanuel Remy on Tuesday announced the city is partnering with the Columbus Branch of the NAACP to launch the “We Got US” initiative, which calls on Columbus residents to take a stand against violence and send a message to the Statehouse to pass what the council members call common sense gun reform.
Hardin and Remy say the tagline for the campaign — “A Safer Columbus Starts With US” – expresses the belief that individuals can play a pivotal role in creating a safer environment.
“Collectively we have to be committed to setting a new standard, building stronger neighborhoods, empowering our youth, and creating enriching opportunities for the next generation,” said Remy, chair of council’s Public Safety Committee.
“It cannot be government, grassroots organizations or schools alone,” NAACP branch president Nana Watson said.
Man shot on Northeast Side
The city’s latest homicide victim is a 38-year-old man found shot to death on a Northeast Side sidewalk early yesterday.
Columbus police officers responding to a report of a shooting in the 2600 block of Divot Place at approximately 1:54 a.m. found Anthony Cato lying on the sidewalk suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, Sgt. David Harrington of the Homicide Unit said.
Mifflin Township paramedics took Cato to a local hospital where he died a few hours later at 5:18 a.m.
Two persons of interest were detained at the scene and interviewed by detectives but no arrests were reported, Harrington said.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).