Stark prosecutor helps interfaith coalition target gun violence

JACKSON TWP. − In their effort to foster a safer community, the Interfaith Violence Prevention Coalition of Stark County that put gun violence in the spotlight.

Mustafa Ozguler, secretary of the Islamic Society of Northeast Ohio and a member of Stark County Pax Christi called the seminar "Ministering for a Less Violent Community: An Interfaith Workshop to Reduce Gun Violence" historic.

"We say 'inshallah,' with the help and support of God, we are here not setting our own faiths aside but bringing our faiths together," he said. "We may have different beliefs but I totally believe we have the same values."

Ozguler said achieving collective action is not always easy.

The workshops' goals include building common bonds within the interfaith community; involving youth in systematic change, and creating a digital platform to foster collaborative projects and opportunities.

"It's very difficult to bring people on the same page and keep them on the same page," Ozguler said. "I believe with great hope that this mission is not impossible. We can achieve this great goal."

Lynne Dragomier, who co-chaired the workshops with the Rev. Robin Woodberry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Canton, said the effort to address gun violence began about a year ago.

"We're here for action and we're going to stay together," she said. "This is the beginning. We're going going forward in our shared faith."

Three pillars: Unity, transparency and justice

The faith-based ecumenical group recently invited Stark County Prosecutor Kyle L. Stone to speak at the group's third workshop, which was held at the Islamic Society of Northeast Ohio.

In addition to his office, Stone is also an ordained pastor.

Stone informed those on hand that while violent crime and gun-related incidents have been in decline in the county since 2020, more work still needs to be done.

"When I ran, I ran on three pillars," he said. "Unity, transparency and justice. I've maintained those pillars as guiding directives."

Stone said the state legislature is increasing punishment and penalties for people with a history of violence who are convicted on gun-related charges.

"Nobody wants gun violence in their community," he said. "I have a strict stance on gun specifications. ... We all know that the majority of the gun violence is within the city of Canton as our county seat and our largest populace. But over the past, I would say four years, we've seen a downward trend in homicide. We've seen a downward trend in violent crime, and we've seen the downward trend in gun crimes and gun cases. Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not, but we're getting there, and with groups of individuals such as you all coming together, figuring out ways that we can go beyond just in the courtroom, it makes a difference."

Stone said there is a direct correlation between poverty and gun violence.

'The Jephthah Generation'

"I call this 'the Jephthah Generation,'" Stone said. "The Bible says that Jephthah and other young men like him went door-to-door seeking whatever they could get − in other words, they were still looking for people to rob because they didn't have anything. And so it wasn't until that elders went and found Jephthah and gave him a job, and told him his purpose and what they needed him to do, and that that shifted. Poverty is absolutely a direct correlation."

Stone said another root cause stems from people growing up in homes where domestic violence was present. In response, he said the Prosecutor's Office is looking into starting a local Family Justice Center. Created by the San Diego city prosecutor in 2002, Family Justice Centers assist domestic-violence victims with wraparound services, from food and clothing to mental health and employment services.

"The data says, wherever there is a Family Justice Center, homicides decrease and major crimes violence decrease," Stone said.

Last fall, he and a team traveled to San Diego for training. Stone said his office has applied for grants, and is creating a "chronic-prevention" collaborative with school districts to address truancy.

"There's multiple things that can change the trajectory of some of our young people," he said. "If we don't start young, by time they get to high school, we have missed them. So we have to start young. And so, another initiative that we started is keeping kids in school, and it's a partnership and will be announced it soon as a partnership with Canton City Schools and ESC to fight against truancy because the data shows that when kids are not in school, they're in trouble."

Stone stressed that the goal isn't to punish responsible parents.

"It takes a village, it takes all of us working together; no one agency has the the answer to everything," he said. "What we're trying to do is say, 'Can you tell us what you need for us to help you, help your children get to school? Do you need babysitting? What is it that you need?' We want to be able to help them. Now, don't get me wrong. If you decide to ignore the help and still do not send your child to school, there are consequences that we're going to request that the family court implement because our children need us to hold somebody accountable."

Stone said the issue of kids at risk is not just a urban problem.

"We were just at a town hall in Sandy Township, and one of the trustees asked, 'Can you guys help us provide something for these kids down here? They don't have anything to do. All they've got is the Dollar Store.' If we want to change our communities, we have to start young. We got to provide opportunities for our young people because we all know what idle time does."

To learn more, contact Stark County Pax Christi President Dan Toussant at dan@dantoussant.com; visit https://paxchristiusa.org; or contact Lynne Dragomier at lynne.dragomier.moms@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Interfaith Violence Prevention Coalition working for less violence in Stark County