CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In less than a week, the city of Charlotte saw four homicides and multiple shootings reported nearly every day. The 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte say this is the type of gun violence they want to put an end to with the help of the community.
Thursday night the organization hosted the first of three community panel discussions to seek solutions to the gun violence. The shared goal was to get everyone involved and address the violence as a public health issue.
“Stop working in silos and come together as a total community,” Lenny Springs, founder of The 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte said.
The community hopes to partner with Charlotte Mecklenburg Police through school education and outreach programs as well as utilize city and county resources and funding through the Office of Violence Prevention and Safe Charlotte.
“We will be able to provide 20 organizations with $50,000 a piece to do community violence intervention work,” City of Charlotte Office of Equity Assistant Director Federico Rios said.
Another important component to violence prevention is youth mentorship. The 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte say that is one of their main principals based on the motto ‘What they see, is what they’ll be.’
“They can see beyond the violence, they can see beyond the poverty, they can see to a better day where they can become successful and reach back and mentor and bring someone else along,” Atrium Health Trauma Services Director Dr. David Jacobs said.
The next Stop the Violence community panel will be scheduled during the second quarter of the year.