In recent years, the Akron Beacon Journal has reported extensively on gun violence and the community’s deep desire to end the shots that ring out across Akron’s neighborhoods.
Last week, gunfire hit a little too close to home.
On the Tuesday morning after Memorial Day, we discovered countless shards of glass strewn across my office in the Beacon Journal newsroom.
Sometime over the holiday weekend, a bullet had pierced one of the large windows with a picturesque view of downtown, leaving behind a hole surrounded by a web of shattered glass.
What appeared to be a fragment of the bullet rested on a table where my colleagues often gather for meetings.
The Akron police officer who responded to our call reassured me by saying the bullet that came crashing through the two-pane window didn’t appear to be a targeted attack. Most likely, he said, someone had carelessly fired their weapon into the air.
Thankfully, no one was in the newsroom when this happened. But I couldn’t help but ask myself, “What if?”
What if someone on the Beacon Journal staff had been in the line of fire when the bullet slammed through my office window?
What if a worker on the late-night cleaning crew had crossed its path?
What if I had been gazing out that window, as I often do, to enjoy the view of downtown?
As these questions raced through my mind on repeat, I started to imagine what it would be like living in a neighborhood where gunfire was a regular occurrence. I thought back to a conversation I once had with an Akron pastor who said you can hear the sounds of shots fired ringing out in the streets surrounding his church on many nights.
Can you ever get used to living just a stray bullet away from suffering a gunshot wound ‒ or worse?
I know dealing with one random bullet strike at the Beacon Journal newsroom is nothing compared to the trauma residents face when they’re surrounded by gun violence on a regular basis.
Akron police responded to 562 calls for service so far this year through the end of April for reports of shootings or shots fired ‒ an increase of 21% compared to the same time period last year.
As of last month, there were 46 reports of shootings into residences, according to the Akron Police Department.
Of course, I don’t live at the Akron Beacon Journal, but in many ways it’s my second home ‒ and the newsroom staff is my second family.
I empathize with people who have had an unwelcome intruder in the form a bullet smashing into their home.
What are your experiences with gun violence? And what are your ideas to confront it?
I want to hear from you. Drop me a line at cpowell@thebeaconjournal.com.
Cheryl Powell is executive editor of the Akron Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: A bullet strike at the Beacon Journal brings gun violence home | Powell
Reporting by Cheryl Powell, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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