Dear Friends,
The last 24 hours have been tragically violent and terrifying for all of us in Durham. Gun violence is a scourge that impacts every single one of us deeply, but none more deeply than those whose families are personally affected. We all have a responsibility to do what we can to stop and prevent violence, but none of us more than those who have taken on the responsibility of community leadership.
As a mother of two Black boys, I share the fear that when my children leave my home in the morning, they may not come home in the afternoon. I live in a neighborhood where just a few years ago, I regularly brought my son from his front bedroom into my rear bedroom in the middle of the night to avoid gunshots that I feared might come through his window. I never turn off my phone while my teenager is at school because of a constant fear that his school will become one of the many schools that have experienced violence within their walls. I have been awoken by sirens rushing down my street to respond to an act of violence in my community. This fear is very real, and we all share it.
We primarily rely on our police department to fight violent crime, and DPD has committed to focus its energy on this priority. Policy changes like reducing arrests for drugs crimes, performing fewer vehicle stops, and eliminating discretionary vehicle checkpoints help give our officers more time and resources to focus on these issues. Chief Davis shares the council’s priorities in this, and will continue to put officers where they can be most useful. Our police department is the most well-resourced department in the City, and we continue to provide them with additional resources each year to do this important work.
It is when we are most afraid that it is hardest to lean into our values, but it’s also when it’s most important. Policing and incarceration are not going to solve our city’s problems with violence. The real solutions to community violence are slow and difficult, but they are the solutions we must pursue. We must provide every human being with a good public education, safe affordable housing, access to health care, a living wage job, and fulfilling social and recreational opportunities. We must fund prevention, intervention, and re-entry strategies to stop crime before it starts. We must help everyone in our community learn how to solve their conflicts without violence, and more than ever, we must make it clear to our state and federal officials that responsible gun laws are an imperative.
For the last 25 years, we’ve focused our energy on punitive responses to crime and violence. We have locked over 2 million people in cages, and yet we still do not feel safe. We need different solutions. If we are to be successful at building a safer city for all of us, we will need the entire community to come together. We will need to build a city that provides for and sustains each and every one of us. I am committed to doing this work, and am thankful to everyone who shares this commitment.