Camden community groups to discuss uptick in violence

Given the surge of violence in Camden this month (at least 10 dead and several with gunshot wounds), several community groups are asking the public to join them Wednesday to discuss possible solutions.

The Camden District Council Collaborative Board, a group of volunteers that works to address public-safety and quality-of-life issues, is hosting the community forum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cathedral Hall in downtown Camden. DCCB representatives will go over some existing resources to report crime such as the GIS map the DCCB developed, in partnership with Hopeworks, which people can use to report quality-of-life issues, from abandoned houses to streetlight outages.

So far this year, Camden has seen 36 homicides -- about a third more than at the same time last year.

Other groups expected to be in attendance at the forum include the Camden Diocese, Heart of Camden, and Save our Waterfront.

The Peace on the Street Jam, also meant to address the violence, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Robert Johnson Park.