Crime and Community: Gazette and KOAA News5 to host solutions-based town hall at The Citadel
As violent crimes continue to rock portions of the Colorado Springs community, The Gazette in partnership with KOAA News5 are in search for solutions.
Following continued calls from the public for law enforcement and officials to find an end to the violence plaguing The Citadel mall and the Colorado Springs community at large, the Gazette and News5 will host a solutions-based town hall forum titled “Crime and Community,” on Thursday at 6 p.m., at the Imagination Celebration’s “Celebration Place,” at The Citadel.
The forum comes just months after the fatal Christmas Eve shooting that injured three and claimed the life of 18-year-old Teryus Thomas, a frequent patron of the mall and former employee.
Following Thomas’ death, an anti-violence rally hosted by Colorado Springs group Men of Influence called on the public and mall officials to work together to put an end to violence in and around The Citadel mall. The goal: to create a safe space for the community.
Nearly a dozen shootings have been reported at or near The Citadel shopping center since 2016.
The forum will feature panelists spanning from city officials to law enforcement to educators and community advocates including Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade, City Councilwoman Nancy Henjum, founding member of Men of Influence DeAndre Smith, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez and Mitchell High School Principal George Smith.
The panelists will answer questions from the general public on how we can make Colorado Springs a safer place for the entire community, and revive community hubs like The Citadel mall.
Members of the public are encouraged to submit questions to be answered during the town hall forum, and to register for the event ahead by going to www.gazettedev.gazette.com/citadel.
Members of the community group Men of Influence, which includes individuals from gangs throughout Colorado Springs, speak Saturday during a rally at The Citadel mall. The group called for an end to gang violence in the mall after the death of 18-year-old Teryus Thomas and the wounding of two during a dispute that ended in gunfire on Christmas Eve.