Councilman, business owner launch latest effort to combat gun violence in Durham
In recent weeks, one person was shot every day, on average, in Durham, according to police department statistics. Some say the city's efforts to battle gun violence have become politicized, and there's no time for continued talk without action.
Posted — UpdatedSome say the city's efforts to battle gun violence have become politicized, and there's no time for continued talk without action.
“We’re doing the right-now work," said business owner Leonardo Williams, who has helped launch the 1,000 Black Men Collective.
The community-funded effort, which City Councilman Mark-Anthony Middleton also helped organize, will launch in the next few weeks to provide mentors to work in violence-plagued communities to tackle root causes of the violence, from jobs to education to inadequate resources.
“There can be ideas after ideas after ideas, but when you rely on a government institution, you’re going to have to deal with red tape, process [and] bureaucracy. Death and crime is not waiting on red tape,” Williams said. "We don’t have time to wait for another agenda item. We don’t have time for folks to be indecisive about what type of public safety infrastructure we’re going to have in Durham.”
Middleton has pushed for many programs Durham has adopted to fight crime, but he agrees the politicized discussion of it all is a distraction from the overall goal.
"Folks are caught up in some ideological addresses. Quite honestly, I think some folks are trying to push an agenda that is not tailored for Durham," he said.
Councilwoman Javiera Caballero, who's running for mayor, held a news conference Monday to press for more action.
"Our response now needs to be different than the failed solutions of the past," Caballero said.
The City Council needs to re-imagine public safety, she said. In order to recruit and retain more police officers and 911 operators, they must be well-paid and well-trained. City staff also are investigating how initiatives in Denver and Oregon are using medical professionals or mental health specialists to handle certain 911 calls, which is the plan for Durham's new Community Safety Department.
"When someone calls 911, it’s often at the worst or most traumatic moment of their life or a very scary moment. We want to always make sure that with the response that to 911 that we are providing as a city is the right response," Caballero said. "Sometimes, that will be an armed police officer, and sometimes it will not. I think that is mirroring what is happening throughout the United States.”
Meanwhile, the search for Durham's next police chief is taking longer than expected. Finalists were supposed to be named this week, but officials said Monday that won't happen before mid-October.
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