Johnstown organizers host statewide discussion on community violence solutions

Organizers with Hope 4 Johnstown partnered with other Pennsylvania coalitions, state leaders, and local residents to host the Cure Violence Statewide Townhall Discussion Experience Saturday afternoon. They said that participants had the chance to talk about violence in their communities and ways to reduce it.

"The people that are involved in this are extremely major because they are mayors of all the counties across the commonwealth. It's really exciting to see what's going on and the change that's going to be happening," said Kim Murray with Hope 4 Johnstown.

Officials with the state district attorney's office, as well as Dennis and Lee Horton, who were both recently freed from prison after serving over 20 years for a crime they say they did not commit, gave their thoughts on how to uplift communities.

Lee Horton said, "We do a lot of advocate work for individuals still left on the inside. There's a lot of reformed individuals on the inside that can come out here and be a part of the solution to a lot of these problems."

Murray explained that connecting these leaders will make a difference. She said that the group developed an action plan to later present to the next district attorney.

"It's extremely important to hold events like this because it makes our voices heard. They hear that Johnstown is a part of the voices that scream these neighborhoods of Pennsylvania need to be safer. We want to be a part of the change that we want to see," said Murray.

Organizers said they're planning for another town hall once the next state attorney general is sworn in.