The resolution endorses a series of strategies aimed at reducing violent crime through prevention, intervention and community engagement.
"What was important for me was to make sure that my opinions were heard," said Durham resident Kalilah Donald, who delivered public comment ahead of the resolution's passage.
Donald, a former corrections officer who has lived in Durham for nearly three decades, said those most familiar with violence can play an important role in the conversation.
"Those are the people that you're really going to find the solutions from," Donald said. "They have unfortunately been in those circumstances."
She also emphasized the importance of early intervention and education.
"Using the schools, really having conversations about debates, about how to solve conflicts without guns is extremely important," Donald said.
The resolution backs five recommendations from the Durham Violence Reduction Working Group:
- Implementing a focused deterrence initiative targeting individuals and groups at the highest risk of violence.
- Reinvesting in community-based street outreach programs with appropriate safeguards.
- Piloting place-based partnerships in areas experiencing the highest levels of violent crime.
- Incorporating trauma-informed cognitive behavioral techniques.
- Convening a Youth Summit on Saving Lives to address challenges facing young people.
According to data from the Durham Police Department, violent crime in Durham is up 4% through September 5th compared with the same period last year, although homicides have declined.
The vote comes just days after a fatal shooting in Durham that has drawn renewed attention to the issue.
Police said Victoria James was shot and killed while sitting inside her vehicle on the 5300 block of Revere Road over the weekend. Her two children were inside the vehicle at the time. Her daughter was injured, while her son was not hurt.
Authorities charged 38-year-old Lontrel Alston with first-degree murder. Court records show Alston was convicted of assault on a female in a separate case in 2018.
James' mother, Judy Ober Hughes, spoke about her daughter's death.
"Her life was just taken for no reason. No reason," Hughes said. "Just because somebody don't want you in their life ... You just took her."
Alston is being held without bond and is scheduled to return to court next month.
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