BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The annual Violence Prevention and Justice Summit shines a light on the positive things happening in North Omaha, and the success stories of the people who call it home.
One of those stories is Jared Hall, a fashion entrepreneur who founded and owns 3am Luxury which sells handbags and leather accessories. His success didn’t come easy
“You face a lot of challenges,” Hall said. “From environmental challenges, low income areas where a lot of people don’t think that there’s hope.”
Hall took part in the summit to share his story to the community, so that they can see there's many pathways out of those challenges, more than what’s typical.
“There are so many different industries for us,” Hall said. “There are so many different opportunities for us that we are able to capture and cultivate for ourselves in our community and people across the world.”
At the summit, Hall was just one of many panelists sharing stories full of trials and triumph. The Empowerment Network and Omaha 360 hold the event to assess issues affecting the community and find solutions. Collaborations, notably with the Omaha Police Department have been key to curbing violence in the community, something organizers say sets Omaha apart.
“What’s exciting is that violence continues to trend down in Omaha,” Jonathan Chapman, VP Community collaboratives, The Empowerment Network said. “We know that post pandemic in a lot of cities similar to Omaha across the nation, continue to experience upticks and challenges with their other violent crimes.”
There’s still work to be done, Chapman said one challenge is youth engagement in crime which is a national trend.
He and other community leaders hope giving everyone a platform to share their experience, and learn from different points of view can go a long way to improving where they call home.
“Being able to see it from different perspectives, helps us to get our arms around it,” Chapman said. “So that we can produce solutions that are going to have long lasting effects.
This summit has been held for the past 17 years and is their hope. It continues to be a positive beacon for the entire North Omaha community.
