CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte city leaders are trying to combat violent crime on the heels of a deadly weekend in Charlotte.
Over the weekend since Friday, there were four shootings, including three homicides. On Monday night, the city council will be discussing a plan meant to reduce crime.
WCNC Charlotte previously reported that the city designated four areas as hotspots for crime in Charlotte. Now, the city committee focused on public safety is recommending possible solutions to the full council.
Monday night, the committee unanimously approved the following recommendations for council to consider as part of the framework to address violence:
- Interpersonal Collaboration
- Community Collaboration in Priority Areas
- Interrupt Violence
- Invest in Community-Led Efforts
- Use Data and Evidence
The plan involves treating crime like a public health crisis, which means getting at the root cause.
“We have to treat this as a public health crisis,” said City Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera who is on the safe communities committee.
RELATED: City leaders scan over violence data in search of long-term solutions to Charlotte's homicide rate
Councilwoman Ajmera says the recommendations set forth by the committee involve a preventative approach rather than a reactive approach.
“How do we interrupt the cycle of violence? By working with grassroots organizations with faith communities, working with our county, working with our schools to ensure we are addressing the violence from the root cause,” Councilwoman Ajmera said.
The goal is to find possible solutions to the problems identified in the map released by the city, which identifies four hot-spots for crime.
“We are not just treating a symptom, we are actually treating the disease,” Councilwoman Ajmera said.
The councilwoman’s words echo what an emergency room doctor said during a previous WCNC Charlotte Defenders investigation about crime in Charlotte.
“We have a violence problem in Charlotte,” said Dr. David Jacobs, head of trauma services for Atrium Health. “This is not a random disease. This disease affects specific patient populations.”
Dr. Jacobs said it’s important to have conversations with people in high-risk areas.
“We speak to those populations and say we're not trying to scare you, but you are at increased violence as a result of where you live, where you go to school,” Dr. Jacobs said.
Community leaders say collaboration sounds good but there should be more action behind it much sooner.
“You need me to tell you what’s going on in the community, so why aren’t we invited from the beginning of this structure," said Gemini Boyd, creator of Project BOLT. "If you’re laying down the foundation and we have to build on it we need to be part of it."
Councilwoman Ajmera says the city will be closely evaluating everything from those experiencing homelessness to repeat offenders.
“There is no silver bullet that's going to address it, it's not like we write a million-dollar check to address it,” Councilwoman Ajmera said.
MORE ON WCNC CHARLOTTE: