Whaley: Men in hazmat suits scrubbed blood from Dayton sidewalks. DeWine has only caved.

Nan Whaley is the former mayor of Dayton, Ohio, and the Democratic nominee for governor.

On Saturday, Aug. 4, 2019 — three years ago this week — a troubled young man with too easy access to a gun began shooting into the crowd in Dayton’s Oregon District. Thirty-two seconds later, 9 people were dead and 17 others had been shot.

I visited the crime scene a few hours later, and the thing I remember most clearly is the smell of bleach. A street sweeper was being used to try to clean the road and men in hazmat suits were scrubbing the sidewalks. Later that morning, Gov. Mike DeWine came to the scene with me and saw all of this, too.

More: Dayton Mom to DeWine: I stood there, cried and believed you. You've let us down on guns.

That night, hundreds of Dayton residents gathered for a vigil at the same spot to mourn their neighbors and friends. When Gov. DeWine started speaking, he was drowned out by the crowd chanting: “Do something, do something.”

At first, it seemed like Mike DeWine had heard them.

He introduced real legislation that was a good step to reduce gun violence that I gladly supported. But when the politics got hard, he caved. He said all the right things when it was convenient, and then gave up when it mattered most. Nine people dead in Dayton wasn’t worth the political risk.

More: Dayton Mom to DeWine: I stood there, cried and believed you. You've let us down on guns.

But not only did he cave to the extremists after the Dayton shooting, he then spent the next three years making the problem worse, signing dangerous gun legislation opposed by law enforcement.

More: How to submit guest opinion columns to the Columbus Dispatch

This is personal for me and is one of the biggest reasons why I’m running for governor. That’s why I’m not backing down from this issue. We’re going to take every opportunity— press conferences with sheriffs and police chiefs, events with gun violence survivors, and guest columns  like this — to remind Ohio voters that Mike DeWine and the extremists running our state have made them and their families less safe.

More: Opinion: Dayton mayor keeps reliving mass shooting

Gov. DeWine loves to use public safety as a campaign talking point, but he has repeatedly taken steps that actually make our communities less safe. He’ll praise law enforcement in one breath, and then sign legislation that will put police officers’ lives at risk in the next.

He told me and other mayors that he thought Stand Your Ground was a terrible idea, but then he signed it anyway. Studies show it will lead to more violence. Next, he signed permitless concealed carry, allowing people to carry a concealed gun without a permit or background check and no longer requiring people with a concealed weapon to notify police when stopped — putting lives at risk.

More: Letters: DeWine has been 'politically captured' by 'Republican cabal'

And earlier this summer, he signed a bill to arm teachers with only up to 24 hours of training — compared to 180 hours of training to renew their teaching license. Time and time again, he ignored the calls of the Fraternal Order of Police and other law enforcement when they opposed these dangerous bills.

Enough is enough. No matter where you live or who you vote for, you deserve to be safe in your community. You deserve to know who is actually on your side, fighting to make your community more safe.

The fact of the matter is that Ohioans support common-sense gun safety measures that Republican politicians either vehemently oppose or are too craven to stand up for.

More: Rogers: Mike DeWine 'disgraceful' for gambling with children's lives to placate gun lobby

As I travel around Ohio, it’s clear that people are sick and tired of worrying whether their kids will be safe at school. Or if they will be safe at a grocery store or restaurant. Real leadership is stepping up to meet this moment — offering legitimate solutions and holding politicians who stand in the way accountable.

Three years ago, I made a promise to my community that I’d fight to make them and all Ohioans safer — and I intend to keep it.

Nan Whaley is the former mayor of Dayton, Ohio, and the Democratic nominee for governor.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Nan Whaley: Mike DeWine gave in to extremists, not reduced gun violence