Residents respond to violence with vigils

The councilwoman would like to see mediation used to settle disputes.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Tragedy like the killing of six people Wednesday in an East Side arson demands a response from the community, and two such responses were being formulated Saturday, a city council member said.

First, people wanting to support victims of the fire, the Crawford family, are invited to attend a candlelight vigil planned for 6 p.m. today at the 1645 Stewart Ave. home where the fire happened, said Councilwoman Annie Gillam, D-1st.

“People don’t want to see people forgotten,” she said, adding that a similar vigil is also planned for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of the quadruple homicide that occurred at 548 West Evergreen Ave. on the South Side.

Gillam said she’s going to bring candles of her own, and said it might make sense for others to bring their own as well. She expects the vigil to offer singing and prayers. She said the vigil would probably also address crime issues in the city.

“It will be helpful to community to do some healing because they are just stunned,” she said of the deaths.

“It’s open to anyone in the community,” she said, adding that she expects a large turnout.

Meanwhile, Gillam was one of about 15 city leaders invited Saturday evening to a forum at Rosetta Stone Cafe and Lounge, 110 Federal Plaza West, to discuss what the city can do to reduce violence.

Michael Davis, 18, of Bennington Avenue is charged with six counts of aggravated murder in connection with arson at the Crawford home and the deaths of Carol Crawford, 46, her daughter, Jennifer R. Crawford, 23, and Jennifer’s four children, Ranaisha, 8; Jeannine, 5; Aleisha, 3; and Brandon, 2.

Tyler S. Clark, who writes the blog “Youngstown Renaissance” and was one organizer of Saturday’s forum, said the Stewart Avenue crime points to the need for citizens to take a more active role in improving their neighborhoods.

“We’re never going to be able to offer the kind of police force by geography that our community needs, so it’s necessary for us to get into the streets to let criminals know that we’re not going to allow the amount of violence to continue that has gone on in the past,” he said.

Gillam said the background of the fire suggests that mediation of neighborhood issues might offer some relief from disputes — like the one authorities believe might have prompted the fire.

Court records show that a civil protection stalking order was sought in July by Davis’ mother, Ann, against Carol Crawford. The order was denied because the action was brought based on the conduct of Carol Crawford’s minor son, not her.

Gillam says she wonders if some type of mediation, such as that offered by the juvenile justice system or by the Mahoning Valley Dispute Resolution Service in Youngstown, might be valuable. She said civil protection orders may not resolve volatile disputes.

“There was supposed to have been some back and forth between the two families,” she said. “Unless someone gets in the middle, things will get worse.”

runyan@vindy.com