CLEVELAND — As the city of Cleveland prepares to release its annual safety report for 2023, the community is dealing with juvenile crime to an extreme level.
A particular lowlight was the arrest of a teen in the Public Square shooting during the holiday tree lightening, where thousands attended. In addition, 41 juveniles were charged with homicide, and 12 minors were arrested during the Kia and Hyundai stolen car crisis.
"We are working with the county — the county prosecutor's office, the juvenile court system — to make sure that the juveniles who are committing the crimes and harming the city are getting the resources they need, but most importantly, not being released right back onto the street," Cleveland Public Safety Director Karrie Howard told 3News.
On Tuesday at Antioch Baptist Church, Greater Cleveland Congregations hosted a forum on youth violence. Several candidates running for office were invited, but only two attended.
Those who were there expressed concerns over the rise in the juvenile incarceration rate, asking authorities to "stop punishing them the same as adults." Pastor John Lentz spoke of "the incarceration of our children being bound over to adult prisons."
Statistics show that from 2018-22, Cuyahoga County saw a 68% increase in minors being tried as adults compared to 2013-17. In the rest of Ohio's large counties, the increase was just 24%.
At the church, parents, the elderly, and community members are seeking and praying for a better life for the kids of the future
"It will take every last one of us here tonight, every last one of our congregations and our communities working together so that violence and racism turn into peace and justice in Cuyahoga County," Rev. Ryan Wallace of Fairmount Presbyterian Church said.
The safety report is expected to be made public in the coming days.