Anti-violence group says while progress is good, more needs to be done in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Community organizations are working to come up with innovative ways to educate the public on violence de-escalation after the most recent homicide data released by Columbus Police shows arguments and disputes have caused more homicides than any other factor so far this year.

Columbus Police and community groups have used crime data over the last few years to see where their focus is needed most. It seems to be working as the city’s homicide rate is the lowest it's been year to date since 2013. 

Police said 15 out of the 47 homicides so far this year stemmed from arguments and disputes. 

Malissa Thomas-St. Clair, the founder of Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children, said she sees this as an opportunity for education and awareness. 

“We have to really think about innovative ways that we can present the resources to folks that normally would not have even listened to that,” she said. “Innovative ways look like meeting them where they are.”

Operation Under Triple Digits, an initiative led by Thomas-St. Clair and the Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children is a data-focused effort to lower Columbus' homicide rate and get it below 100.

“It really teaches us where to focus,” Thomas-St. Clair said. “So if we're understanding that there is a hotspot in a certain zip code or a certain zone, then we are going to, if not set up shop with our pop-up community coverings with just going out and simply engaging, whether it is really focusing on that demographic for a short moment of time or pouring resources in there over a long period of time.”

Thomas-St.Clair said after seeing how many of this year’s homicides have stemmed from arguments, her team's brainstorming was to give education towards de-escalation, emotional regulation, and even going to mental health. Thomas-St. Clair said access to firearms has increased.

“It is really causing harm more than good when you have a person with a firearm that doesn't know how to de-escalate their emotions,” she said. “So if we can't fight legislation, then we have to make sure we handle what's behind the firearm, which is the person.”

During the last two years, domestic violence-related homicides have been the outlier, so the city has put a lot of effort and resources toward slowing domestic violence. While there have still been nine domestic violence-related homicides so far this year, the number is slowing.

The city’s Office of Violence Prevention said that last year, 30% of the city’s homicides were directly caused by conflict resolution inabilities and that’s why it launched the Safer Together 614 campaign, which provides an entire digital library of resources, offering de-escalation tools. It is free and available on the Office of Violence Prevention website.

“I really believe that when we speak the same language for the ultimate same goal, even though if we're not if we're all working towards the same common goal, using the same language, even if you're not connected in the same initiatives, you're at least producing volumes, more results,” Thomas-St.Clair said.

Thomas-St. Clair said Tuesday also marks the group’s five-year anniversary. She said the community has to stay laser-focused on the goal of slowing violence, but it will take everyone to do their part.