Indy Forum Looks For Solutions To Violence

State leaders converged downtown Thursday to discuss solutions to violence.

Government, public safety, and education officials were part of the conversation along with clergy, professors, and lawyers.

It was hosted by IUPUI’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs at the Indiana War Memorial.

Crime Prevention Coordinator David Briggs says diversity at the event was needed to have an honest conversation on solutions.

"One person can relate to a certain situation where another officer or law enforcement person can’t," he said.  "Having that diversity brings a whole lot of different ideas together instead of just one single mindset."

About 100 people attended including Dottie Davis, Director of Security for Fort Wayne Community Schools.

She believes the forum raised awareness of the how big the problems are and will motivate different groups to get involved with finding answers.

"Having the Department of Education here, having law enforcement from a wide variety of avenues, homeland security, and some of those who maybe don’t deal with violence on an every day issue like law enforcement do - I think having all of those people together is going to have a big difference in having this go statewide and not just in Indianapolis," she said.

IUPUI Public Safety Lecturer Jim White says the event was inspired by the Newtown, Connecticut shooting last year.

"One of the best things that was said here today was violence is not a solution and you stop and think about that and you have to say ‘absolutely right.’  Why are people turning to violence as a solution?," he said.  "What happened to sitting down and talking to people? We need to get back to that.  We need to work as a community."

He says the goal of the conversation was to challenge attendees to ask and answer tough questions.

"I’ve seen some of the things that we have done over the years and how we have failed," said White.  "I’ve come to the conclusion that, the police can’t do it by themselves, the churches can’t do it by themselves, schools can’t do it by themselves, the families can’t do it by themselves. But, if we come together collectively, we are pretty strong.  There is strength in those numbers."