COLUMBUS, Ohio — Many in the community continue to ask how city and community leaders, families and others can work together to stop the violence, especially with the youth.
For the families who are trying to heal after losing someone to violence, seeing more reports of violence almost every morning, opens past wounds.
That’s how Malissa Thomas-St. Clair describes it. She said she understands the pain of losing someone to violence, first hand.
Thomas-St. Clair lost her son, Anthony back in 2013. He would have turned 30 on March 3rd.
She said he went to collect money from someone he was selling drugs to and was stabbed in the heart.
“It does and more-so, opening up a wound and not even allowing that, 2020 and 2021 right now for mothers who have lost their own children not only has it ripped open the wound, it’s not healing ever,” Thomas-St. Clair said.
With the increase in violence, about a year ago, Thomas-St. Clair created Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children.
It’s a group of 1,400 hundred members within Columbus consisting of supports, but mainly mothers who have lost children to violence.
The founder expressed that the pain felt by a mother is on both ends. It’s felt by mothers whose children were victims, and it’s felt by mothers whose children were the offenders.
Through the heartbreak, she wants to use this group to collaborate in order to create change.
That’s why they're pushing to organize more peaceful demonstrations and become more visible in the communities.
They’re also partnering with other community leaders to begin a cease-fire Initiative.
It’s a collaborative effort with Derrick Russell of Columbus Northside for Positive Change, Shela Blanchard of Moms Demand Action, Ralph Carter of 'We Are Linden' and Dion Green who is an Ohio Advocate after losing his father to a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.
The two organizations will create, produce and edit together a video of mothers sharing their stories and cries for the violence to stop.
“We’re saying, listen to our pain, it’s time to stop, it’s time to put the guns down, no more pain, no more boxes and when I say boxes I mean no more earns and no more coffins,” Thomas-St. Clair said.
Part of Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children’s plan to help the community is to focus on supporting the moms, the women who need help.
It’s called Operation Safety Packs and she said, “the initiative will focus on distributing 400 fanny packs to elderly women, women with disabilities and women of size.”
They want to create neighboring stores with offer safety items while they educate the importance of community support and the need for safe neighborhoods.
As for the violence increasing in the city, the mother feels there are many factors that could play a role in this.
Thomas-St. Clair believes the pandemic played a role in the increase in violence, especially with the youth. She also mentioned trauma and how that could play a role as a child grows in age.
“A child left to their own code of conduct, plus trauma, plus a possible toxic environment, you’ve got this perfect storm of what we’re living in right now,” Thomas-St. Clair said.
The need for discipline and accountability from parents or guardians, along with from the court system, is another factor she believes may help slow the spread the violence.
“It may seem hypocritical that I’m saying there should be appropriate discipline over here, but we’re always wanting to be the mothers to these youth that are making these waiver decisions, but that’s exactly who we are, that’s exactly who a mother is,” Thomas-St. Clair said.
Bottom line is, that she said the community, everyone involved in a violent act, ends of with heartache.
“When will it be a time when humanity, compassion and empathy resurface our communities again,” Thomas-St. Clair said.