In their first debate Thursday night, both Lawrence mayoral candidates said the city needs to address crime and poverty.

In a packed room, some supported and some opposed the specifics of the proposal. But many voiced concerns before the vote over how the city approached the problem.

The Ten Point Coalition, an anti-crime group, announced last month that its expansion to the citys far east side was a success. But the message angered some in the community.

When you call 2-1-1 youre connected with someone trained to help with crisis situations. Community leaders call their new awareness campaign Talk it Out, Dont Shoot it Out.

The state attorney general's office invested $500,000 to help Ten Point expand about a year ago, and now the group says its expansion into the far east side helped reduce violent crime.

There will also be a resource fair at the Warren Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library.

The group will pay between $80 and $160 for guns that are turned in. Anyone can turn in guns, even a relative of the gun owner.

More than a dozen people protested at the meeting. Many are owners of hotels they say would fail the city's test.

City officials met Monday to talk about a continuation of IMPD's community policing model that aims to reduce violent crime by engaging community members.

The program is aimed at reducing recidivism by treating addiction as a disease, not a crime.