In their first debate Thursday night, both Lawrence mayoral candidates said the city needs to address crime and poverty.

The Ten Point Coalition, an anti-crime group, announced last month that its expansion to the citys far east side was a success. But the message angered some in the community.

In a packed room, some supported and some opposed the specifics of the proposal. But many voiced concerns before the vote over how the city approached the problem.

When you call 2-1-1 youre connected with someone trained to help with crisis situations. Community leaders call their new awareness campaign Talk it Out, Dont Shoot it Out.

The state attorney general's office invested $500,000 to help Ten Point expand about a year ago, and now the group says its expansion into the far east side helped reduce violent crime.

There will also be a resource fair at the Warren Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library.

The group will pay between $80 and $160 for guns that are turned in. Anyone can turn in guns, even a relative of the gun owner.

More than a dozen people protested at the meeting. Many are owners of hotels they say would fail the city's test.

City officials met Monday to talk about a continuation of IMPD's community policing model that aims to reduce violent crime by engaging community members.

The program is aimed at reducing recidivism by treating addiction as a disease, not a crime.