Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin says the Office of Community Safety (OCS) aligns with officials' long held goals of supporting the homeless, uplifting the youth and fostering racial equity.
However, he says officials also listened to the requests of local activists who pushed for the office to be created at City Hall.
"Activists here have been very vocal and consistent that we needed an office. I think what we defined as an Office of Community Safety and what they want. it may be some difference to police oversight and some other things. But I think this is a great start. It's common ground and we need to have the city lean further into youth and gun violence mitigation..."
The city says the new office will not only focus on creating opportunities for the youth and reducing community-based violence. However, it will also tackle the needs of the homeless and those struggling with mental health concerns.
Community Activist Shaun McMillan says the city will have to overcome challenges in rebuilding trust with people here for these initiatives to work.
"We have a memory that goes back further than just who's in city council for the next two years. And I think councilmembers forget that."
McMillan noted the cases of Nijza Hagans, Joshua Oxendine, Jason Walker and Jada Johnson, saying they have undermined that public trust in city hall and law enforcement. But he shared a hopeful outlook on what the OCS can accomplish in the long run:
"We don't forget the police homicides, some of which have come during mental health crisis. And so what we've been asking for many years is structural change to address that. And I think that a permanent office that's here for years can establish those processes, the structural change that it takes to respond to mental health crisis, especially in a way that's nonlethal and humane."
The city is holding a community event introducing the new office and its new director, John Jones, at the Bill Crisp Senior Center on Raeford Road Thursday at 6:30 pm.