Investing in prevention efforts can renew trust

On July 30, nearly 200 Fort Wayne residents attended a forum on youth violence, where they heard from city leaders, including Mayor Sharon Tucker and Police Chief Scott Caudill, as well as local community leaders and advocates. What resonated most, beyond the alarming statistics, was a deep issue that underpinned every comment: trust, specifically, the lack of it. Many young people and their families do not trust the systems that are supposed to keep them safe. Communities are growing frustrated by words without action.

This mistrust has deadly consequences. In 2025, youth under 18 accounted for an estimated 71% of shooting victims in Fort Wayne. 

Nurgul R. Aitalieva, associate professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Purdue University Fort Wayne, wrote an opinion piece on this topic for The Journal Gazette (subscription required).