COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus City Council voted to give $500,000 to two organizations in hopes of curbing violence in the Short North.
The vote comes one day after a 21-year-old man was fatally shot during a fight early Sunday morning in the 900 block of North High Street.
“It's frustrating that we are having to do something very similar again,” said Columbus Police Commander Mark Denner.
Denner said it's disheartening to be back in the area for more violence.
“It makes you sad, makes you frustrated. I think people down here are frustrated as well,” Denner said.
“Losing a life, that's somebody's son, brother, that's someone's father. Those things all run through my mind. As a father and I understand that and grieve for their family and I grieve for the community because we lost a life,” said Columbus City Council member, and Public Safety Chair, Emmanuel Remy.
The $500,000 will go to the Short North Alliance and Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District to use toward safety and security.
“Work together with their members and they come up with strategies to encourage safety and implement strategies to make the area safer,” Remy said.
The groups received the same funding last year and used it toward safety initiatives and special duty officers to patrol the area.
“It's impactful to all of us in the city of Columbus. We deserve to have safe streets, safe communities in the neighborhoods in which we live. These types of funding opportunities are important for our future and for the feeling of safety in the city of Columbus,” Remy said.
While this funding was already on the agenda, the timing couldn't be more important with the recent violence in the Short North.
“Just like any other neighborhood, when you have a dense community like the Short North is, we have to look at strategies that are going to help move people along, get them on their way,” Remy said.