WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — After last week's crime spree and a rise in violence in Winston-Salem, community activists came together on Tuesday to address the issue and raise awareness.
The founder of the organization, HOPE Dealers Outreach said putting an end to violent crime needs to be a community effort. Their hope is for everyone to work together to stop the violence.
Several family members spoke about how these deadly shootings have impacted them, including one mother who said her and her son's bond is forever broken.
"We are about to have a pandemic of gun violence. What are we going to do," Tracy Scales said.
Scales, a grieving mother, said she lost her son in 2016 after he was shot.
"This is my life, telling my story about losing my son in the city I was born and raised in that I thought was my home, but now it feels like it's my enemy," Scales said.
Alongside the founder of HOPE Dealers Outreach, Scales shared her story. They came together to speak about the rise in shootings, hoping to get more people to come together to find ways to stop violent crime.
"I don't care who you are, I'm not pointing fingers. I'm pointing fingers at the whole world, at all of us, the whole community, which means we got to do this together," Founder of HOPE Dealers Outreach Frankie Gist said.
According to Winston-Salem police, in 2020 there were 23 deadly shootings. So far this year, there have been 16. Last year at this time, WSPD had 10 gun-related killings.
"We got to do more. You got to do more. And the community, we have to do more," Gist said. "And my goal is to bridge the gap between law enforcement, and city officials, and the community to figure out a way how to trust each other again."
Gist said one of his goals is to get more programs available for our youth.
"These kids have nowhere to go," Gist said. "Name one place they can go that low-income families can really afford."
As for Scales, she hopes no other family has to go through the loss she endured.
"We have to come up with some solutions and it's not going to be just talk," Scales said.
As for other deadly shootings, statistics in the Triad this year, Greensboro police report 17, Guilford County Sheriff's Office reports two and the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office investigated four cases.
