Curfew considered to lower crime in Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Parents and even teenagers are coming out in favor of a proposed curfew in Fayetteville.
Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson is hoping it will cut down on youth violence across the city.
Eva Barrette had a conversation with her son that a lot of Fayetteville parents and teens will have about the pros and cons of a teen curfew.
"I think it's a good idea because it's going to keep kids out of the street," said Barrett, "and out of trouble that they could be getting into when they really should be home."
Robertson hopes a curfew will help cut down on youth violence in the city.
"We have got to do something," said Robertson. "If we can come up with one thing that will make a difference perhaps, this is it."
Officials are trying a number of options.
The police chief is offering amnesty to anyone who turns in an illegal firearm, and the city has more than a dozen surveillance cameras around town keying an eye out for trouble.
Meanwhile, Alonzo Lunsford, who is one of the victims of the Fort Hood shooting, plans to use a semi-pro basketball team to help teach 7-12 graders sports and character building.
"We will take a young man or woman that lives in an at risk neighborhood and we will show them what a bullet does through the body, when the body is hit by a bullet," said Lundsford. "I will use my own photos of when I was shot seven times at Fort Hood to show them what the aftereffect is."
Thirteen-year-old Isaac Parsons is already getting that message from his mother.
"I think the kids should be in when the street lights come on," said Parsons. "So they don't get into trouble or get taken away."
Not everyone likes the idea of a curfew, but, for Barrette, it is peace of mind.
"If there is a curfew then there is somebody else making sure your children are at home when you told them to be, and not getting into trouble when they shouldn't be," said Barrette.
The Mayor has asked his staff to come up with some curfew ideas and suggestions by next month.
