LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) - We all know violence is a complex challenge, and one that doesn't come with a simple solution. There is no perfect fix, but a new nonprofit is trying to approach it from a different way. Its first task is to research crime and its impact on kids and their learning.
Community leader Chris 2X is leading the initiative. It's called the Peace Centered Alliance, and the group's mission is to promote education as the ultimate tool to help victims of violence. Work on the report will start early next year, and it will be done by actual survivors of crime. The hope is to get real results by making this so personal and give resources that actually make a difference.
It's countless community stories plus a personal one that are inspiring Chris 2X. On December 1, his daughter's house was hit by stray bullets from an AK-47. There were six kids at home when it happened.
"Needless to say, it was devastating,” Chris 2X said.
Nobody was hurt physically, but the pain left behind is still powerful beyond measure. It's a shared experience by so many.
"What we very seldom remember is the literally hundreds, if not thousands, of kids in our community who are victims of this type of trauma who are never actually hit by a bullet,” Education Commissioner Dr. Wayne Lewis said.
Lewis said that experience cannot be underestimated.
"Imagine now the impact that has on them not just now, not just when they go to school on Monday, but literally for the rest of their lives,” Lewis said.
That's why he insists giving those kids a quality education is the ticket to overcome that trauma. Metro Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith agrees.
"It's a complex challenge, and we need common sense solutions,” Sexton Smith said.
She believes this report will be revolutionary.
"The folks that are typically researched are now going to be the researchers,” Sexton Smith said.
She's also adding her own support with another idea. If a family is impacted by gun violence, she wants to ensure they have the option to relocate to a safer spot.
"For me, it is no different than a fire or a tornado. When a family has been displaced, the family deserves and needs to be embraced by all of us,” Sexton Smith said.
The report will include conversations with individuals and small and large groups. Chris 2X said it should be released by late next summer or early fall.
►Contact reporter Sara Wagner at swagner@WHAS11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Sara) and Facebook.