To my friends on campus,
the mayor of the Council,
President, Council Member Rimi,
Division of Police,
and Executive Director of the St
North Alliance, Betsy Pandora.
Like many of you,
it's been the past couple weeks
not just hearing from neighborsd
business owners in the Short No,
but residents from across the
city who have a heightened level
of concern about gun violence.
And problems plaguing their neighborhoods
relating to vehicular traffic,
takeovers, ATV's, loud mufflers,
and how that bleeds all into
a threat of public safety.
Folks are concerned.
I understand folks are concerne,
but there is a small number of
people that are hell bent on
lawlessness and chaos that they
think that they are above the l.
And creating havoc and ruining
it for the 99.9% of Columbus tht
is trying to raise their family,
enjoy a wonderful neighborhood
like this and do the right thin.
That's why we have to continue o
support police and their enforcement efforts.
It's why prosecutors have to
step up and prosecute people to
the fullest extent of the law.
And judges need to understand to
meet the moment when it comes
to bonds and sentencing.
So that violent individuals who
are committing crimes in the ciy
of Columbus and threatening pubc
safety are met with significant
accountability.
Applaud the Mayor and the council for
the historic investment in peop.
Because we have to help people
realize the opportunity and thee
that they have as an individualo
they don't turn to a life of cr,
so they don't feel dejected,
or this sense of lawlessness
and emboldness to get attention
and threaten others.
And of course,
we need the political will withr
friends right down the street at
the State House to step up and o
the right thing and help us as a
city and other cities across Oho
be able to have reasonable commn
sense of gun laws that range frm
safe storage to something as ral
as keeping guns out of parks.
So from my perspective,
in the city attorney's office.
We're going to continue our strg
partnership with the Division of
Police and it's promotion of Operation
Wheels Down and Operation Burno.
If you are driving your car recklessly,
if you have a loud muffler or so
that's disrupting the quality
of life in our neighborhoods,
this neighborhood or anywhere
else in Columbus.
If you're engaging in a street takeover,
doing wheelies,
threatening public safety and
of course adding alcohol,
drugs and guns into the mix.
And you are caught.
You will receive absolutely no plea bargain.
You will eat 100% of the penalties and fines,
including jail time if applicab,
and we will take your car as evidence
as long as you your case is pen.
And then you will go down to the
impound lot and you will pay evy
single dollar to get that car o.
We are not messing around becaue
this threatens every single
person across the city of Columbus 2nd
through our nuisance abatement group.
It starts with community complas
and this particular neighborhoo.
Recently, we've heard about increased
concern with neighborhood parkig
lots where folks are essentially
glorified tailgating with excese
drug use with violence, with alcohol.
That is against the law.
We have already reached out to
parking lot owners to engage ina
conversation with them about wht
is necessary to put that to an ,
whether it's a parking lot here.
Or a bar on the hilltop or on the East side.
We were not afraid to continue o
file a record number of nuisance
abatement lawsuits in order to d
business owners accountable fore
nuisances that they're creating,
where violence is emanating from
their from their business or thr
place or their apartment complex
or their building and spilling
out in the streets and threateng
patrons or families trying to re
their kids in their neighborhoo.
And finally, just this morning,
we filed A lawsuit against the state of Ohio.
In the latest version of their attempt
to prevent cities like Columbus
from passing common sense gun l,
we're not going to stop.
We are alone in this battle agat
extreme Republican elected offis
who have no regard for people lg
in big cities across the state f
Ohio and how we tackle violence.
As a matter of fact,
they are obstructionists.
They like tying our hands and asking us
and blaming us to deal with this problem.
You know what?
It's a collective effort and we
need them to step up to the pla.
And as long as I'm city attorne,
we're going to do our part to fe
every lawsuit that's necessary n
order for us to have the ability
to keep guns out of parks,
to keep guns out of little kids hands.
We saw saw the video from the
last press conference.
There's been many instances across the
city recently that may be applie
to our safe storage laws where s
have shot individuals accidentay
because they're 678-910-1112 years old,
but they're using their parents weapon
or a friend's weapon who's an a.
And we don't have the ability nw
because of a of a ruling in Dele
County to enforce that particulr
law and that's wrong.
The mayor said it and I agree with you more.
If you're not going to help us ,
at least get the hell out of the way.
So that we can help our citizeno
the right thing to protect each other
from out of control gun violence
that's placing plaguing our community.