Set Fund Grant A Game Changer In Curbing Gun Violence

CEDAR RAPIDS — It has been just over five years since gunshots shattered the night air at Redmond Park in southeast Cedar Rapids, leaving a 15-year-old boy dead and eventually leading to the birth of the Creating Safe, Equitable and Thriving Communities Fund.The death of Aaron Richardson — and the fact that he was shot and killed by a 14-year-old peer over a gang rivalry — was a tipping point for the community, said Stacey Walker, a member of the Linn County Board of Supervisors.“We had a series of shots-fired incidents before that, and there was a lot of frustration,” he said.