CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With three homicides over the weekend, Charlotte’s rising level of violence is showing no signs of letting up.
The county has already declared it a public health crisis, but many question what happened to the plan to address it and get it under control.
Coming off a deadly year in 2019, the county health director declared the violence a “public health problem” in January. In February, a Safe Communities Committee approved the framework to implement what’s known as a “Violence Interrupter Program.”
Among other things, it relies on trained officers and community groups who defuse situations that could turn violent.
The city identified four areas they would focus on to reduce violent crime:
- West Sugar Creek at I-85
- Nations Ford and Arrowood
- Central Avenue and Sharon Amity
- Beatties Ford Road and LaSalle
The program has 3 goals:
- Interrupting the violence by training credible and respected people in these neighborhoods to be able to step in and prevent conflict
- Preventing future violence by linking the highest risk people to resources
- Changing norms
The city said the program is a top priority, but there is some criticism that city leaders aren’t acting fast enough or providing enough money to make it happen.
The violence along Beatties Ford Road and LaSalle Street came to a head after a mass shooting left four people dead and several others hurt during a block party over the summer.
The program would offer mentorship, conflict mediation and conflict management to people who may be at risk of getting involved with crime.
The second part is aimed to provide victims of gun violence with counseling and support while they’re recovering in the hospital.
Leaders said similar efforts have shown success in other parts of the country.
“What we focus on is changing their mindset, change their behavior, and showing them other ways. You got to change their thinking though. We got to make sure their days are matching with their nights. Jobs do not fix everything. What fixes everything is people’s mindset,” Chicago Violence Interrupter Ricardo “Cobe” Williams said.
