Joint City-County Meeting on Youth Gun Violence and Public Safety - July 26, 2024
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Joint City-County Meeting on Youth Gun Violence and Public Safety - July 26, 2024
This joint meeting of the Durham City Council and Durham County Board of Commissioners, held on July 26, 2024, focused on the escalating crisis of youth gun violence in the community. The conversation was initiated by the Mayor following the shooting of a three-year-old child the previous night. The discussion included data presentations from the Durham Police Department and the Durham County Sheriff's Office, as well as emotional testimony from elected officials about the impact on children and families. No formal votes were taken, but a consensus emerged to form a task force and increase funding for evidence-based intervention programs.
Discussion Items
Opening Remarks by the Mayor
- The Mayor expressed that the community has made policy choices that have helped but also armed, citing the need to address the perception that residents' number one concern (safety) is being ignored.
- He listed current and inactive public safety initiatives: the Violent Crime Reduction Round Table (active, information-sharing), the Gun Reduction Strategy Task Force (inactive), the Crime Cabinet (inactive), the Community Safety Awareness Task Force (completed), and the Community Wellness Task Force (did not address gun violence).
- Noted that ShotSpotter was voted out, while the HEART team was brought on and funded.
Commissioner (female) – Response to the Mayor
- Thanked the Mayor for transparency and stated that elected officials have not talked enough about gun violence.
- Recited a list of recent shootings involving children, including a 3-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 14-year-old, and a 16-year-old killed.
- Emphasized that children are telling adults they need help, referencing a civic engagement project at Hillside High School where 7 of 12 student presentations were about gun violence (gun locks, cabinets, voting).
Chief of Police, Chief Andrews – Data Presentation
- Provided data from January 1 to May 31, 2024:
- 85 juveniles were victims of aggravated assault, most with firearms; 16 offenders in aggravated assaults.
- Overall violent crime: 126 juvenile victims, 32 juvenile offenders (homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault).
- Age range of victims primarily 13-17, with highest victimization among 17-year-olds, followed by 15-year-olds, then 13- and 16-year-olds tied.
- Youngest gunshot wound victim was 6 years old (out of 17 total victims).
- Noted trends: increase in robberies resulting in shootings, motor vehicle thefts by juvenile rings, and juveniles carrying assault rifles.
- Stated that many juveniles are gang-involved but not necessarily in traditional gang conflicts; disputes are over drugs, personal relationships, and simple disagreements, leading to shoot-on-sight incidents.
- Highlighted that stolen guns from cars are a major source; 800 guns stolen from cars annually.
- Shared a story of a 16-year-old who was not granted secure custody after a foot chase; he later became involved in a series of armed robberies and shootings. The Chief argued that the system failed to intervene at a critical moment.
Council Member (female) – Personal Perspective
- As a mother of three teenagers, emphasized the role of adults in checking in on children and asking hard questions.
- Pushed back on the idea that some children cannot be saved, stating that the community has failed them through inadequate gun laws, toxic masculinity, and lack of mental health support.
- Noted that North Carolina does not require reporting stolen guns, and that Georgia has stricter gun laws than North Carolina.
Commissioner Burns – Focus on Chronic Absenteeism and System Failures
- Reported that 41% of all children in Durham suffer from chronic absenteeism (data from Durham Public Schools).
- Criticized the system for not valuing Black and Brown children, citing that over 3,000 children are diverted from the juvenile justice system each year, but the system often fails to provide adequate support.
- Called for putting money behind programs, noting that the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) received an additional $1 million, but more is needed.
- Emphasized that only about 20-25 individuals are causing the majority of havoc, driven by trauma from seeing family members killed.
Council Member (female) – Questions on System Disposition
- Asked about the 16 juvenile offenders: what happens to them after arrest? Chief Andrews explained that juvenile court counselors often deny secure custody orders, and children are released back to parents. She gave an example of a juvenile who was denied secure custody and later committed more serious crimes.
- Asked for a magic wand: who should be at the table? Chief Andrews responded: legislators (to change policy), school leaders, and successful community programs (e.g., Fred McNeil's program).
Council Member (female) – Question on Raising the Age
- Asked about unintended consequences of raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction to 18 for non-violent offenders. Chief Andrews noted that the legislation (House Bill 834, on the governor's desk) provides remedies, including charging adults who direct juveniles and allowing arrest for violent offenses. However, the system is overworked and understaffed, and juveniles often re-offend because the state did not provide adequate interruption services.
Major Tom Cody, Durham County Sheriff's Office
- Confirmed that the Sheriff's Office sees the same trends as the police department.
- Highlighted the School Resource Officer program (30 SROs in high schools and middle schools). Noted that after COVID-19, law enforcement interactions in schools jumped from under 2% to about 10%.
- Mentioned that of 131 violent assaults in schools over the last year, only 12 reached juvenile justice level.
- Discussed the role of social media (YouTube) in identifying gang rivalries and influencing youth.
- Stated the Sheriff's Office is 100% committed to reducing violent crime and youth crime, and that a task force may help fill the void left by lack of active parenting.
Crystal Harris, Director of Community Intervention Support Services
- Provided details on Project BUILD, an evidence-based gang intervention program for ages 14-21.
- Current funding: $130,000 from JCPC for ages 14-17; $18,920 from the city and ~$30,000 from the county for ages 18-21, totaling about $170,000.
- Noted that many referrals are for children under 14, who cannot be served by Project BUILD, and there is a lack of gang intervention programs for that age group.
- Announced that next fiscal year, Project BUILD will contract with a vendor to provide mental health services, as trauma is a major issue.
Mayor – Closing Remarks
- Emphasized the need for a holistic approach, including support for households, systematic adjustments in the DA's office, and lobbying the state legislature.
- Proposed a task force (similar to the Mayor's Brother's Keeper task force) to align efforts and generate recommendations.
- Called for raising $1 million from the private sector to fund youth intervention programs, bypassing bureaucracy.
- Stated: "It costs about $32,000 a year to incarcerate one individual; it costs about $2,400 a year to go to Durham public schools. Our priorities are misaligned."
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken, but the Mayor and several commissioners and council members agreed to form a joint task force on youth violence, to include the school board, law enforcement, and community programs.
- The Mayor committed to championing this issue and ensuring it remains a priority.
- The group will request that the Gang Reduction Study (completed two years ago) be redistributed for review.
- Crystal Harris will send recommendations for expanding Project BUILD and reallocating funding.
- The next Joint City-County Committee (JCC) meeting is scheduled for August 13, 2024, with a request to adjust the time or day to accommodate county commissioners.
- The Mayor stated that the conversation is a starting point, and that he will protect the focus on safety of children and families from being pitted against other priorities.
Meeting Transcript
So I do want to shout out and thank uh the chamber on that yeah what is am I trending or they provide um I don't I don't have a number um they're just talking with consulting firms and and figuring out what the cost is okay how the now several costs whatever it is yeah fantastic yeah so that's the chamber of the chambers the chambers foundation they're the foundation yeah they have a foundation that has been a little bit dormant um and uh Adam Klein is the new foundation chair and so um after speaking with him and Doug Durham um there was interest on the chamber side uh because they're eager for this housing work to get off the ground uh especially the workforce housing part of it uh as we can imagine the chamber would be interested in that um and so they are funding that independently you can uh take this as your item okay thank you um commander so we just wanted to talk about we don't have the they have reached out to CD county about so they do want us to okay do you know what the amount is okay okay thank you my understanding is they're usually around I think between 100 and 200 000 is my understanding any other questions any other comments all right thank you oh I have another up yes ma'am thank you before we go on break uh you know most of our boards are going on break for the next month uh a formal letter will be going out to uh appointees from um the mayor and chairs uh umstead on thank you so much for that work all right and uh our third item final item is uh I wanted to bring this before both of our bodies because I just honestly don't feel we talked about it about um we uh from the three year old that was shot last night to all of the um the shootings we've been experiencing um we've made policy choices that have uh really helped and we have to my opinion uh we make policy choices that have armed um so what I wanted to read off was what we have and don't have right now and I've asked that uh our police department and uh service department join us today so I want to be able to ask some general questions really high level um right now on the city side actually city we have the violent crime reduction round table uh that is something that was started by mayor built uh I guess so that it's a a gathering of all the safety public safety entities it is information only that is not necessarily shared in the report but it's like just really uh you know uh it could be thematic or it could be you know something that is uh something that happened recently like for example the ATBs was an issue at one point and this was an opportunity for the course to have all of those entities on the same call addressing that the gain reduction strategy task force that is currently inactive uh we have the crime cabinet that is also currently inactive we have the community safety awareness task force that work has been completed um and we have the tax partners against crime which I'll be honest also want to see my opinion on this the community wellness task force um in regards to gun balance I do not think that that scope addressed that it went another direction um and as far as the packs I have no clue what's happening in some of the next uh so and we voted to get rid of shot spotter which was a resource we did bring the heart team on and we raised handed it um we are still doing the shortages in the police department and I I look at it this way you know um the the residents of this community are our customers and the government is the arbiter of those tax dollars that the residents are paying into and so therefore I think I would you know uh I don't know if this is a business guy you know what but I think customer service and if you are you know you're paying for something or you're paying into And I look at it this way, you know, the residents of this community are our customers. And the government is the arbiter of those tax dollars that the residents are paying into. And so therefore, I think of it, you know, uh, I don't know if this is a business guy or what, but I think of customer service. And if you are, you know, you're paying for something, you're paying into something, and your expectation that you want to feel safe. And we right now, if it feels like if the perception, which is definitely more important than it's happened, but that perception is you're ignoring my number one concern and addressing my second or you're you're responding somewhat. I think that is a problem. And so we haven't really taken this conversation on it. I'm not asking today for us to come up with a solution, but I would like us to see as the folks that are responsible for policy in this community to just get on record and start talking about you know what's happening here so that we can start getting toward what direction looks like to say. So I've asked the chief and the uh sheriff's department to be here to uh just kind of give some high-level uh quote unquote what is going on uh out there, and then I'll read it back before the board. Well, first of all, um I just want to thank you, Mr. Mayor, for your transparency, because I think one of the problems that we do have in this community is individuals do not know what to do about this problem and refuse to acknowledge the fact that they do not. Um I think there are a few more of us who are a bit more in the community than some, and even we are at a loss. So I do want for anybody who is listening, and I know they're gonna be surprised when I say this, um, for the mayor to say what is going on, best leadership. Um I have been so disenchanted with the way elected officials have talked about gun violence this year. I I can't even put it into words. Um, I'm pretty sure I scared my colleague and the manager last week because again, as you all know, we passed a historic budget last night. We were trying to get money for those folks, but I also know about the pockets in the community that need dollars to work on the preventative measures to keep children alive. And I think it is a horrible thing for folks to come in front of us and have to begin for their lives. And I think that was the only time I've ever felt helpless on the county commission. So uh Mary Williams did bring up the three-year-old that was killed last night and last night, no, excuse me, a lot shot. Okay, well, y'all listen. In Durham, it ain't hard to think that that happens. And I hate to say that she's three-year-old and she took a bullet. I remember when I got on county commission, I was really, really um hard on my colleagues because they had given out an award uh to a young girl at the county commission because she knew what to do in an active shooter situation. And I was I was like, so we're giving out awards for kids knowing how to shield other kids, like what in the world? Well, guess what? Since I've been on county commission, we've been seeing kids shield other kids. That's not stuff that we should be giving out awards for. Like that is not what we the fact that kids know what to do because we haven't done our job is a problem. And so, how many a lot of folks, a lot of folks want to make out like these are adults? I do want to position this about children because somebody did come into our meeting the other day and said this doesn't mean we're anti-school. The kids are the folks that are getting shot are not in school, and people kind of roll their eyes. On April 30th, Kevin Guy was shot. He's 17 years old. It was before three o'clock. On March uh 5th, a five-year-old was shot in Oxford Manor. A three-year-old was shot in Oxford Manor. I'm sitting up here, I'm building three additional pre-K classrooms. And kids are never gonna walk in there. On April 23rd, there was another team shot in the face. On May 13th, a 14-year-old was shot in 1126. On April 12th, at least five people were killed. I mean, at least five people shot, and one of them was a 16-year-old that was killed. And between May 10th and May 12th, there's a 26-hour period where eight people were killed. Eight people were shot, excuse me. And so when people think, oh, why is Namachina and Leonardo always talking about gun policy because there is gun violence? It doesn't mean we don't care about other issues. Folks care about making sure our kids are educated. We want to make sure they're allowed to be educated.
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