NORWOOD, Ohio — Bishop Sonny James, from Norwood's Keep It Real Ministries, brought together community organizations, local politicians and other religious leaders to have a dialogue about gun violence in the Cincinnati area.
The "Hear Every Perspective" event took place Sunday evening at Victory Park. A sign at the park's gazebo read "HELP OUR YOUTH."
“Stop the crime, stop gun violence,” Bishop James shouted through the evening. Those words would echo across the park, as those in attendance would echo the call.
This event is part of what Bishop James said is a part of his new initiative, "The Called to Action".
“It’s so significant that we understand that each hour that passes by lives are changing, lives are ending," Bishop James said when discussing the level of pain violence inflicts on the community.
Bishop James repeatedly called on wealthy community members or "multi-million dollar donors" as he called them. His message was asking those with the means to make sizable donations to local organizations that work directly with the youth in the community, trying to keep them from falling into crime or violence.
One of the main goals of the man running the discussion was to allow young people directly affected by the threat of violence to know their voices are heard.
"One of the things I really want to see is the voices of the youth to not be afraid to come forth and to speak out," Bishop James said.
The pastor also stressed the importance of allowing anyone to have a chance to share their story.
“Just handing someone a microphone may seem simple to you and I, but to look into the eye of a young person that says wow, they really care about what I think," he said.
James included several other speakers who addressed the crowd, including other Christian leaders and even a local political candidate.
Two of the other speakers included Candice Tolbert and Ron Meyer, the Executive Director and Board President of the youth-based organization, "Super Seeds".
Tobert told us their work is to connect with kids and divert them away from crime. She said she and her team take the kids involved to meet with inmates, speak with local leaders and seek future career paths.
“Our biggest thing right now is transforming their thinking, right, to get them on a different path. So all of these young people, we’re trying to find out what their gifts are, what do they want to do?" said Tolbert.
“We plant the seeds of awareness, the seeds of hope and the seeds of courage so these kids are empowered to make better decisions," explained Meyer.
Following the event, Bishop James told us that he hoped Sunday's discussion would be the first of many similar meetings for the community to take part in.
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