COLUMBUS, Ga. ( WRBL ) — This morning the expanded South Columbus Public Library reopened, and many are hoping it becomes a refuge for youth struggling with the temptations of joining a criminal street gang.
After almost two years and $9 million dollars in public and private investment, the expanded library is in a prime spot to make a difference in South Columbus.
Not only is it sandwiched between between two schools with at-risk students, but it is just across South Lumpkin Road from Oakland Park – a neighborhood that has seen more than its share of violence.
“A lot of kids are out here raising themselves,” Tracy Shivers, a south Columbus resident said. “They don’t have nothing to do. That’s why they are getting in trouble.”
Cure Violence, a community-based and data-driven violence prevention program that works in partnership with the Columbus Health Department, is working in communities like those in South Columbus to help prevent gang activity.
Reggie Lewis, co-founder of Cure Violence, says the South Columbus Public Library can do just that.