Community Violence and Public Safety Investments

Urged the council to see young people as individuals rather than statistics, recommended learning from other cities' violence reduction successes, and called for deeper community engagement.

Expressed grief over recent violence, criticized past unsolved cases, and warned against ineffective outside consulting strategies.

Criticized the emphasis on policing, questioned why task force recommendations go unimplemented, and argued residents need housing and basic needs met instead of surveillance.

Spoke as an NCCU student and youth mentor about the exhaustion of hearing gunshots and urged the council to treat gun violence as a public health crisis requiring proactive investment.

Shared experiences as a tutor with Graced, noting that teens are distracted and anxious from neighborhood violence, and called for cameras, mentors, and after-school programs.

Shared work with the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and psychiatric hospitals, urging council members to show up in communities like Cornwallis to witness youth trauma firsthand.

Discussed environmental neglect and infrastructure disparities across neighborhoods, arguing for ecological design and independent community violence interrupters.

Framed the municipal budget as a moral document and advocated for funding youth summer jobs programs, citing studies showing significant crime reductions.