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Activists look for change after deadly holiday weekend

Hiring is already underway for a program that could help reduce violence. Some say it can't happen quick enough as deadly shooting continue to take place.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte's been at its wits' end when it comes to the number of homicides the city experiences year after year. 

A new pilot program that's set to get underway later this summer is what many are hoping can bring homicide rates and violent crime down in the Queen City.

"To continue in the way that we always had been doing," Robert Dawkins with Action NC said. "It has not worked."

The Independence Day weekend was no different. It proved deadly for a 16-year-old in Charlotte's South End neighborhood on Sunday, who was shot along South Boulevard in the middle of the afternoon.

RELATED: 16-year-old dies after shooting in South End, police say

The teen died at the hospital from his injuries, according to police. A suspect has not been arrested as of Monday. 

"It's a huge traumatic journey," said Genicia Hairston, who works with Mothers of Murdered Offspring, known as MOMO. 

The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County-backed program, called Alternatives to Violence, is underway as the staff is being hired for the program set to start in August, Dawkins said. 

It will use the CURE Violence approach, training people from hotspot neighborhoods who are trusted and may have a criminal past to intervene before a trigger is pulled. Program directors believe that will help them resonate with people who may turn to violence. 

RELATED: 'This area is lacking' | Community members seeking solutions to crime problem in their area

"It's someone that lost someone, committed a crime, who can tell you their story," Dawkins explained. 

Hairston knows what that loss feels like after losing her beloved grandmother and her sister to homicides. 

"It can knock at anybody's door. And the more that we say oh, we'll let this person take care of it, that's their problem -- it will easily trigger and come to your front door," she said, warning others to listen up and be prepared for anything. 

She believes the program will help reduce violence but is also urging the community to step up and come up with multiple ideas, including the creation of more summer programs for kids who have nothing to do while out of school. 

Contact Hunter Sáenz at hsaenz@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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