We must all step up for kids

I mentor at West High School. Once a week, I sit with a senior, listening and encouraging her to finish her homework and get to classes, despite the challenges she faces in her life outside of school.

A week ago was particularly difficult for West High students. On the morning of Monday, Dec. 4, Quentin William Smith was shot and killed in a firestorm of bullets as he was riding in a car with three other students. Severen Clayborn, sleeping on a couch in his home nearby, was killed by one of the stray bullets.

It seemed like everyone knew Smith, as well as the other boys in the car. The school’s usually jovial mood that day was somber and quiet. The district brought in a crisis team to help the students deal with the grief — and with what feels like a daily stream of gun violence.

Last week brought more: Seven homicides in seven days.

We cannot forget that the people who have died by gun violence are not statistics. They were fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, people who shopped beside us in grocery stores and sat next to us at churches and mosques. And we cannot lose track of the loss these murders have left behind for the families and people in our neighborhoods.

The Columbus Division of Police is working diligently to solve these crimes, expanding patrols and reallocating resources to focus on neighborhoods that have seen an increase in violence. The city is providing additional resources to cover overtime. In addition, we are beginning to implement a Comprehensive Neighborhood Safety Plan. It includes initiatives not just from the police, but also from Columbus Public Health to understand the root causes of what leads to violence. We are focused on intervention, but also prevention. And everyone has a role to play.

About half of the homicides in our city have no suspects or motives. We need the community to step up and share information about these crimes.

Last weekend, officers and community members went door-to-door at the Wedgewood Apartments, whose residents have been shaken by recent violence and crime. They talked to families about reporting crime, sharing information with police and strategies to help young people make good decisions. That faceto-face communication is an important step.

And so is mentoring. When I was at West High, I saw young people looking for direction, for answers, for guidance. Mentoring gives students a touchpoint, a positive role model to keep them in school, but also help them avoid people and situations that may lead to violence. Our teachers and administrators do this every day in their roles. But the community must step up, too. There are many opportunities to mentor, whether through Columbus Public Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Columbus Public Library or through your faith community.

If you don’t mentor already, sign up today. The youth you mentor are the future of Columbus. And they need each and every one of us to help them on their path.

Andrew J. Ginther Mayor Columbus