WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said community involvement is going to be key to preventing gun violence throughout Forsyth County and Winston-Salem.
“As a community, we need to get involved," said Kimbrough. "There are so many things happening in our communities as it relates to our children, our most valued resource that we have, our most valued asset is our children.”
Community members have been asking how they can help prevent gun violence since the Sep. 1 shooting at Mt. Tabor High School left a student dead.
"A lot of issues that originate in the community work their way back to the schoolhouse," said Kimbrough. "So getting involved in leadership programs, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA programs, making it affordable, making it accessible to kids, providing skill sets. Because what happens is when kids don’t get what they need at home they trickle into other areas that provide negative behavior for them."
Community organizer and parent Nakida McDaniel says out-of-school activities are important, but they need to be evidence and community-based
“The people in the community. If you really wanna see this work move? Train and hire them," said McDaniel of the people working in those programs.
McDaniel said it will take a comprehensive approach and things like metal detectors and more school resource officers are not the best solution. She said it goes beyond one school.
“The village is still necessary and everybody is part of the solution," McDaniel said. "And in the community, it’s not just the youth that are suffering, it’s the parents, the younger siblings or older siblings, it’s the elders in the community. So when you bring all those different people into the picture and you bring them to the table and you invite them to have a seat at the table, that’s when we really see the transformation we want to see. And I’m hopeful about it."
Sheriff Kimbrough said guns are also prevalent in the community and people need to make sure they are securing their weapons and keeping them out of reach of children. A 2021 federal study by the US. Department of Homeland Security found many school attack plotters had "unimpeded access to firearms."
"Kids are accessing them in a lot of ways," said Kimbrough. From adults, from breaking and enterings, from guns in their homes. There are so many ways, there are a plethora of guns out there in our community."
McDaniel said she understands parent's concerns for safety, but everyone needs to make sure they are working together on a solution.
“This is a marathon, not a sprint," said McDaniel. "We have a sense of urgency, right? So we want to sprint, and we are, but we've got to make sure we’re doing it together and that everybody is using their talent, their gift, whatever their organization is, to help solve it. But everybody has got to be in a role together.”
The sheriff also noted that addressing basic needs will help in the fight against gun violence as well.
"So many kids go to school hungry, so many kids go to school and come back home with no adult there," said Kimbrough. "Let’s get involved in the community.”
Both Kimbrough and McDaniel believe investing in communities will yield results.
“I think doubling down on our resources means doubling down in our communities with what they need, with their infrastructure. So many things are needed in the community," said Kimbrough.
"We got to meet people where they are and in their communities and on the ground and in their communities is the best way to reach people," McDaniel said.