Donnavon Mathews believes it’s important to share his story with Gary’s youth. Mathews watched his uncles spend time incarcerated growing up, and he wants others to know that there are other options, no matter how they grew up.
“It made me want to go down a different path,” said Mathews, a 22-year-old Gary resident. “I wanted to do something bigger with my life, and I didn’t want to follow the same path. I feel like it definitely made a difference in the person I am today.”
Mathews was a participant in Cities United’s community violence intervention and prevention summit at Gary City Hall on Wednesday. The event is part of Cities United’s Leading the Way Tour, and Gary is the second-to-last stop on the 20-city tour.
“Every person makes a difference,” Mathews said. “You never know whose life you could change just by one thing.”
Cities United is an organization that works with mayors and community leaders nationwide to build better public safety and reduce crime among young Black men and boys, according to its website. The organization has partnered with Gary since former Mayor Karen Freeman Wilson was in office, said Anthony Smith, Cities United’s executive director.
Gary’s partnership is important to the organization, Smith said.
“We’ve been trying to help figure out how we create a safe, healthy and hopeful community for these young Black men and boys who are most at-risk of gun violence,” Smith said.
Through the partnership, Cities United helps provide resources and information on crime trends in Gary, and the city provides spaces for them to meet with community members, Smith said.
During their stop, Smith said they met with local elected officials, students and community members to discuss what’s needed in the city.
“When you bring all those perspectives to the table, then you can get the best solutions,” Smith said. “And you can also get the right resources, because if you don’t bring enough people to the table, you won’t know what resources they have.”
Ellis Dumas, Gary’s chief of staff, participated in Wednesday’s crime prevention summit. Dumas said the city has components to help decrease public safety, but they need help getting it to the community.
“What we’ve seen is that once we make a connection with a partner, we ask ‘how we get that to the community?’,” Dumas added. “Or they’ll be coming to the community or into the community, and those who need it haven’t heard about it yet.”
Alesisia Cobb, Cities United’s deputy of engagement, gave a presentation on the organization’s mission and Gary-related trends. In Gary, Black young men make up the majority of the youth population, Cobb said.
In 2025, the city had 28 homicides and it has seen a decrease since 2015 to 2025, Cobb said. Of those, 86% were Black people, and 86% were also men, she said.
Although homicide numbers have decreased, Cobb said work still needs to be done.
“We want to see that number at 0,” Cobb said. “Together, we’re interrupting that cycle of violence.”
Attendees also participated in activities to understand the city’s public safety needs better, including a SWOT analysis, which stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Cobb said the analysis helps leaders understand what organizations can do to improve public safety in Gary and Lake County.
Participants believe that the city’s leadership has helped reduce crime, but they want to work on communication with youth, transportation, and funding for better public safety resources.
Mathews said he was proud of the community members who attended Wednesday’s crime prevention summit.
“I love it,” he said. “Everybody’s sharing their ideas, and everybody’s moving around and throwing things around. I think it really could help the community because we’re getting an outlook from a lot of different people who have had a lot of different experiences.”
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
