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Louisville summit addressing gun violence heads into day two

The Louisville Alliance for Sustainable Gun Violence Reduction gathered with nearly 300 groups Wednesday to collaborate on solutions to gun violence.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hundreds gathered at the Muhammad Ali Center on Wednesday with one goal in mind — to reduce violence across the city. 

It was the second day of the Citywide Violence Reduction Summit, allowing city leaders, community organizers and citizens to bounce ideas off of each other.

Many of them say they typically work separately on similar goals. But when it comes to saving our city, it takes a village.

"Community violence requires a community solution," Summit organizer Jud Hendrix said. 

The Louisville Alliance for Sustainable Gun Violence Reduction gathered with nearly 300 groups Wednesday to collaborate on solutions to gun violence. 

Kamal Wells, the founder of Men Against Gun Violence, says the city's reduction plan should include more community and youth engagement, in addition to funding for smaller organizations that typically do hands on work. 

"The boots on the ground are the people that are actually going out, talking, and interacting with the people," Wells said. 

Others would like to see community centers stay open later.

Ben Johnson, the assistant director of Louisville Parks and Recreation, said that would require more volunteers and help from other organizations.

"We will need some creative partnerships and people who are actually willing to do that work," Johnson said.

This is what Hendrix said he hopes to see after the summit, each group working together for a common goal. 

"If we can move together as a collective force, as a community, then we can all do our own work better in whatever place we're doing that work," he said.

Hendrix said all the ideas pitched were added to a 3-year plan.

"There's a community response," Hendrix said. "We're going to create a movement peace building, so wherever you are in our city, however you're connected to this work, we want to invite you to join and to connect with others."

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