‘Take the blinders off.’ Charlotte groups fight to stop shootings into homes, cars
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Shooting at homes & cars: A rising hazard in Charlotte
Many were shocked when shots fired at a home killed a sleeping 3-year-old inside. But such assaults are not rare in Charlotte.
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As shootings into occupied buildings and vehicles increased from about 480 in 2017 to more than 900 last year, local government and nonprofit leaders have launched efforts to respond to the growing violence.
How to prevent these crimes is what health and law enforcement experts are trying to determine.
Here are some groups working on solutions:
Child Development-Community Policing
For the past 25 years, this Mecklenburg County Health Department program has provided mental health help to children who are victims of trauma or who witness it.
A few years ago, the program started getting so many referrals from shootings into buildings and vehicles, that it started tracking them. In fiscal year 2018, CD-CP met with 298 families with children who experienced a shooting. By fiscal year 2021, that number was 551 – an 85% jump.
The goal is to address the lifelong effects that violence – including shootings – can have on children, said Stacey Butler, who heads the program
“There’s no end to the potential impacts,” Butler said. “That’s why we try to get at the problem so quickly.”
The program’s mental health counselors join Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers - often immediately after a shooting - to counsel young victims or witnesses. Sometimes they work with children and parents for months, teaching children coping skills for anxiety, PTSD and regressive behaviors. They also give parents information on resources, such as income and housing assistance.
Office of Violence Prevention
A year ago, as gun violence was climbing, the county created this office. That same year, the Office of Violence Prevention partnered with the city to create the pilot program Alternatives to Violence.
Alternatives to Violence links would-be peacemakers, such as former gang members, with those seemingly on the verge of causing violence.
The mentors are often people from the community where they are trying to make a difference.
They try to teach those at risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of gun violence about non-violent ways to resolve conflicts.
“These are skills that we need to build within our youth so they can resolve conflicts they might have in an effective manner,” said Tracie Campbell, the officer’s senior health manager. “So they’re not resorting to violence.”
Crime Gun Suppression Team
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police formed this team in 2021 in response to the increase in shootings into homes and vehicles. It includes detectives who investigate these types of shootings and those who investigate gangs. Members of the Targeted Response and Apprehension team, which specializes in arresting violent suspects, are also involved.
One goal is track the guns associated with the crimes, which helps officers find and arrest shooters.
Those involved, though, know that police work alone isn’t going to prevent these from continuing.
“We need to take the blinders off,” said CMPD Maj. Ryan Butler. “It’s not what’s happening on my street or what’s happening to my kids. It’s what’s happening in my city.”
Safety and Accountability for Everyone
In April, this city program chose 17 nonprofit groups to receive as much as $50,000 for programs to reduce violent crimes, the Observer reported.
The organizations have until April to spend the money.
Some of the groups getting money are:
▪ Project B.O.L.T (Building Outstanding Lives Together): This group helps house, feed and employ those in need.
▪ Mecklenburg Council of Elders: The council is made up of leaders of nonprofit organizations who interact with the court system on behalf of young offenders.
▪ Planet Improv: This group looks to inspire positive behavior change through comedy.
“When you have compounding factors like poverty, like a lack of food access, like unstable housing, like the inability to access public transportation …they can certainly all contribute to violence,” Stacey Butler said.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 6:10 AM.