"It sounds like we at war," said Tanya Kelley, a resident of Cornwallis Road Apartments.
Kelley said gunshots are so common in her neighborhood that many residents have become accustomed to hearing them.
"It's like birds chirping," Kelley said. "It's so normal, you don't see people jump like that until they know it's close. It's so normal. That's how you know we need some healing. It shouldn't be so normal."
Residents say the reality of living in high-crime communities often goes unseen by people outside those neighborhoods.
"What goes on here doesn't always make the news, so you don't know the day-to-day of what we go through," said Crystal Graves.
Those lived experiences helped shape five recommendations that emerged from Durham's three-day Summit on Saving Lives held in June.
Person shot twice near Garner Road and Bragg Street in Raleigh
The recommendations call for targeting people and groups most at risk of committing gun violence or becoming victims, while pairing enforcement efforts with supportive services. The plan also advocates for expanding community street outreach, strengthening partnerships in neighborhoods most affected by violence and increasing trauma-informed training for residents, service providers and law enforcement.
Leaders are also proposing a separate youth summit focused on developing strategies to reduce gun violence among children and teens.
Graves, a resident of Hoover Road Apartments, served on the working group that developed the recommendations. She said resident voices were critical to the process.
"As a resident of public housing, I was honored to be in that room because now I get to say face-to-face what I know and what I see with my own two eyes," Graves said.
She believes Durham must invest in young people long before they become involved in violence.
"We have children who are 16 and 17 years old going to the methadone clinic with their parents. So at that point, we've already lost them," Graves said. "We have 14-year-olds walking around with AK-47s."
Mayor Leo Williams said the next challenge will be securing the funding needed to implement the recommendations.
"When we come up with a plan of action, we have to start building the framework to fund it. Then we need to start hiring. Then we can act," Williams said. "My goal is to make this happen sooner rather than later and not wait until the next fiscal year."
The recommendations are expected to be presented to city and county leaders during the Durham City Council work session on Aug. 20 and the Durham County Board of Commissioners work session on Sept. 8.
Make sure to download the ABC 11 mobile app | ABC11 North Carolina Apps for Connected TV, Mobile News, Echo