Ginther To Reject Activist Calls To End Summer Safety Initiative

Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther has a message for community activists who want the city to end it's summer safety initiative - too bad. Ginther will announce in his State of the City address on Thursday that the city will extend the initiative that targets high-crime neighborhoods with additional police officers year-round. The initiative has been the target of protests since participating officers shot and killed 23-year-old Henry Green last summer in Linden. The year-round effort will aim to reduce gun violence and juvenile crime and make felony arrests. The city says the program is a success. Last week, health professionals and members of the People's Justice Project called for the city to treat gun  violence as a public health problem, and called for police to repair their relationship with the community. The group says the program primarily targets impoverished African-American neighborhoods.