opinion

Winburn: Crack down on 100 worst teens

Cincinnati Councilman Charlie Winburn, a Mount Airy resident, is chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee.

The Fountain Square uproar was an embarrassment to the city of Cincinnati. Targeting, attacking and disrespecting our very fine police officers, citizens and visitors is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Cincinnati.

This is not a time to downplay the Fountain Square assaults with niceties or complexities. Call it what it is! This is outright youth anarchy and rebellion against authority and civility.

I have been working on an initiative called the Youth Violent Crime Reduction Plan to reduce gun violence, robbery and aggravated assault. This plan calls for identifying, tracking and monitoring the top 100 most disruptive teenagers, 17 years and under, in the city. However, there may be more or less. If we go after the criminals in this age demographic, we will get at the core of youth violence in Cincinnati.

My plan will help to address incidents such as the one that occurred Saturday night on Fountain Square. It is a symptom of the larger problem of youth criminal behavior – a larger policy issue of youth violence in Cincinnati. According to the Cincinnati Police Department, last year teens 17 and younger were responsible for 12 percent of all aggravated assaults and approximately 32 percent of all robberies, which means that some citizens were either held up by a weapon such as a gun, knife or other.

We must bring an end to youth and adult shootings in Cincinnati that often result in bystanders becoming victims. For example:

•Sunday’s Avondale shooting of 6-year-old China Kinebrew, who, according to reports, was not the intended target. Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell has ordered the Gang Unit to be called into the investigation.

•The June 16 shooting in Carthage in which three people were hit, none of whom was believed to be a target.

•The June 15 North Avondale shooting in which a young woman in an SUV was killed and her two companions, innocent bystanders, were injured.

Violence is creating an unsafe environment for every law-abiding citizen of Cincinnati, for our police officers, and for our firefighters. We need to target the top 100 most violent youth because youth 17 years and under represent a core part of the violence in Cincinnati.

The CIRV (Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence) contract only focuses on the age group of 18 and up and fails to focus on those under 18 who are growing and developing as violent criminals, which is a very big mistake. These Cincinnati youth are involved in aggravated assaults, robberies, shootings, homicides and other gun violence, which are among the major challenges facing our city.

My proposed Youth Violent Crime Reduction Plan involves connecting these youth with law enforcement, parents and guardians.

I will be asking Mayor John Cranley, City Manager Harry Black and City Council to establish a citywide Youth Violent Crime Reduction Plan to reduce aggravated assaults, robberies and gun violence in Cincinnati and work in conjunction with CIRV and other agencies in identifying the top 100 most violent youth who are contributing to crime in Cincinnati.