COLUMBUS, Ohio — Violence in Columbus is topping the headlines, sometimes with children, teenagers and young adults at the forefront.
“The number one culprit that we're seeing, this just exponential increase in juvenile violence, is that the largest school district in the state is in Columbus and we were out of school,” said Malissa Thomas-St. Clair, the Founder and CEO of Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children. "They do not have the structure the boundaries the mentorship and everything that comes with a daily routine inside school.”
Thomas-St. Clair said she has spoken with some of the mothers of children who have either been victims or have been involved in violent acts in the city.
She said the mothers don't want to see anyone locked up, they just want the community to heal.
“The immense amount of pain losing a child in any manner is an indescribable pain, however whenever you're talking about somebody whose hopes and dreams and future and destiny did not manifest, you get a different layer added into the trauma,” she said.
Thomas-St. Clair speaks with teens about violence. She says many tell her they are desperate.
“There is generational misguided behavior that has been passed down to them and that is normal to them. They don't have the capacity or the understanding or the wherewithal on how to get out," she said.
Thomas-St. Clair is hoping the city invests in smaller organizations that are immersed with the families to stop the root of the problem.
Thomas-St. Clair said she is hopeful about the city's $350,000 investment in a program that aims to treat offenders with empathy.