LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An essay contest aimed at finding realistic ways to reduce gun violence in Louisville received more than 200 submissions from people seeking to make a difference and cash in on the $7,000 prize for the best idea.

The Crescent Hill Community Council, which opened the essay contest over the summer, ended up receiving more than 230 submissions by the Oct. 4 deadline. There were five rules:

  1. Your ideas for curbing gun violence in Jefferson County must be typed with minimum 10 point font and no more than 1 page total, or 500 words in length.
  2. The winning idea should include 3 action steps to implement the idea.
  3. The winning idea must be "do-able" with the resources available in Jefferson County.
  4. The winning idea my be a new idea, or a fresh look at an old idea.
  5. Any person from anywhere, of any age can win. We encourage school age children, young adults, and people in Assisted Living, nursing homes, etc. to submit their ideas.

There have been 128 homicides in Jefferson County so far in 2023 — including more than 120 within the metro — a number that's nearly identical to the same timeframe in 2022. Crossing the triple-digit mark in August cemented a fourth-straight year for more than 100 homicides in Louisville.

Lakesia Jeffery, who lost her son — John Johnson Jr. — in a shooting nearly three years ago in Louisville, said Tuesday she's thankful people are sharing ideas on how to make the city safer. Like so many other families, Jeffery is still waiting for answers and arrests in her son's case. She said she continues talking with detectives.

"It does not get easier," she said. "You just learn to deal with the wound and you keep going."

Joyce Connor, a co-chair for the essay contest, said the ideas submitted came from zip codes across Jefferson County and some out of state. She said they include a range of age groups.

"I think we've got some good ideas," she said Tuesday. 

Joyce Connor, a project co-chair, looks through pages of ideas submitted for essay contest

Connor said she's had a chance to read over ideas as they've been submitted, and some discuss gun violence prevention within early childhood. Other ideas are focused on programming to get teenagers better connected with the community or participate in therapies with animals.

She will not be a judge in the essay contest. While reading the essays, judges will not know the name of who submitted each one. 

There are 15 judges for the competition, all listed below:

  • Danny Robinette, chief judge, retired surgeon and NRA member
  • Rose Smith, whose son was shot and killed in 2014
  • Mark Gaff, president of the Frankfort Avenue Business Association
  • Bill Hollander, former chair of the Metro Council Budget Committee
  • Krista Gwynn, a youth gun violence advocate who's child was shot and killed in 2019
  • Lucia Duncan, the head librarian at the Crescent Hill Library
  • Greg Smith, a financial adviser and president of the Peterson-Dumesnil House Foundation
  • Cynthia Thomas, president of the Crescent Hill Community Council
  • Andrew Owen, District 9 Metro Councilman
  • Todd Mercier, a mortgage broker, volunteer and advocate for the LGBTQ community
  • John Keeling, a 5th Division Louisville Metro Police officer
  • Khalid Ashanti, with the Arabian Federation Martial Arts Academy
  • Alex Martindale, an activist with the Jefferson County Republican Party
  • Constance Casanova, a south Louisville resident and owner of the United World Bully Syndicate
  • Ivan Haygood, LMPD's lead to the Group Violence Intervention program

Judges are meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10 to begin reading over essays for the first time and make sure they all know the criteria for choosing a winning idea. They will meet at 7 p.m. at the Peterson-Dumesnil House.

The winning idea will be announced in early January.

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