INDIANAPOLIS — City and community leaders are joining together with Indy Peace Fellowship in a renewed call for unity to reduce gun violence in Indianapolis.
Timed to coincide with Gun Violence Awareness Month in June, they're launching a new campaign called "I Choose Peace."
"Peace can be different for everyone, but this is something where everyone can say, 'I choose peace,'" said Indy Peace Fellowship outreach worker Della Brown.
The aim to reduce gun violence in Indianapolis isn't new for the city or Indy Peace Fellowship, but it's work that's especially critical leading into the summer months.
"This work is life-saving. These young people involved in these things have a critical moment where they usually call somebody and that person can lead them one way or the other. And we want them to be encouraged and empowered to be that person to get out of that car, to come back home, to meet me here, to do something different from whatever choice they were about to make,” said Shardae Hoskins, lead program manager at Indy Peace Fellowship.
In the auditorium where dozens of people gathered Wednesday to launch the I Choose Peace campaign, the need to reduce gun violence and make positive change sits heavy, with seats left empty all around in memory of homicide victims.
"And so I just want to give you an idea of how many people we are missing just in this auditorium this year who will never be able to fill those seats again. Those are our loved ones, those are our brothers, our sisters," said Mary Alexander, director of gun violence reduction strategy, Indy Public Safety Foundation.
They're starting with a pledge for peace and offering ways to help people reach out and spread this peace around town, from checking in regularly with family and friends to ensure they're alright, to joining community groups or events to help promote community involvement and peace.
“We know that it’s a problem in our city and it’s becoming that way across the world. Just doing the things, little things matter and it’s going to take a community collective to reduce gun violence. We know there’s not one solution to gun violence, so just being able to foster the sense of community in partnership for this I Choose Peace campaign,” Brown said.
They're organizing fun programs and sports tournaments for youth ages 16 to 19 for the next seven weeks, offering kids a positive outlet over the summer.
"Not only are we giving them a space to go to during the day during the week, but we're also giving them things they can take away from each program they attend," said Tony Lopez, deputy director of violence reduction with the Office of Public Health and Safety.
Everyone here is ready to be the change here in Indy.
"We are all in this fight together," said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. "Together, we choose peace."
"I choose peace because my daughter is going to have a lot of examples in her life and I want to be the best example for her. She's sitting right here. Do you want to come up here? So, this is why I choose peace," Brown said.
Click here for more information on the I Choose Peace campaign or to reach out to a peacemaker about the work they're doing around Indianapolis.
There's information on how your teen can sign up for the city's summer programs for 16 to 19-year-olds here.