A Fayetteville City Council discussion on the cost of gun violence locally appeared to get personal during a work session at City Hall on Feb. 6.
Councilman Mario Benavente and Councilwoman Courtney Banks-McLaughlin had requested that the council direct city administrators to “quantify the economic and societal costs associated with gun violence in the city.” Benavente told his fellow council members that he wants the staff to analyze gun violence in the years 2012 to 2022.
“Our community has struggled with the fact that homicides have increased 9% in Fayetteville, reaching a new high in 2022 with 44 lives lost,” Benavente said. “This is, of course, in stark contrast to other types of crimes in the city that are trending downward. While we know gun violence nationwide has become a growing issue, now is the time to better understand our unique situation by getting the data we need to implement informed prevention strategies.
“While we do get some information from the police regarding gun violence, we can put a number on the number of intentional, interpersonal violence incidents,” he continued. “We can put a number on how many intentional self-harm incidents there are, and we can put a number on unintentional injuries. However, just knowing these numbers does not reach the surface of the issue of gun violence in Fayetteville. I want us to arm our new police chief with the data that he needs developing his department’s priorities.”
Benavente encouraged fellow council members to review the results of a study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Prevention Institute, which addressed gun violence in Santa Clara County, California, over a 20-year stretch.
Gun deaths in that community were 60% self-inflicted, according to Benavente. A third were young people between ages 18 and 34. In nonfatal shootings, he said, two-thirds of emergency-room visits were by patients ages 18 to 34. All in all, he concluded, the cost of gun violence in Santa Clara County was $100 million a year, according to the study.
“So how much in Fayetteville?” he asked rhetorically. “Experts around the country have had success when they treat gun violence as a public health crisis. And it truly is. A public health approach to gun violence is what Prevention Institute is offering to cities across the country, and our community deserves to know we are ready to do what is necessary to keep them safe. So, conducting this study will be a huge step forward in this regard.”
Banks-McLaughlin then said she supports the idea.
“It’s needed,” she said. “We need to find out how much it costs, how many individuals lost their lives, the background and research for it, so we can come up with solutions. I mean, this hits home for me. I just lost my daughter four months ago. And that affected my family. And not just my family, but the community. Other families have lost their children and loved ones. So, I definitely support this effort. I think this will help figure out a way — preventative way — to decrease these numbers of crimes being committed, especially (among) our youth. I hope we can receive support from council.”
Banks-McLaughlin has said little in public about her daughter's death.
Coryonna Young, was 15 and a 10th-grader at Seventy-First High School. She was found with a fatal gunshot wound in the 2000 block of Maitland Drive on Oct. 21, Fayetteville police said. The people involved were juveniles who knew each other, authorities said. The shooting happened inside a residence.
Banks-McLaughlin and Benavente are pushing for a collection of data on fatal and nonfatal gun violence and gun possession in the city over a decade.
Like other places nationwide, Fayetteville has seen an uptick in gun violence and homicides. The Fayetteville Police Department has implemented initiatives to address the issue.
But some of the numbers have continued to rise.
Councilman Derrick Thompson said he initially opposed a study similar to the one in Santa Clara because he said it was Monday when he received an information packet on the proposal. But after Banks-McLaughlin spoke, he said, he changed his mind during the work session.
“Sometimes, it touches you,” Thompson said. “It makes you change your mind. Councilman Banks-McLaughlin, as our counterpart, has lived with this. So, I’m going to support this motion to do a study.”
Benavente noted that the Santa Clara study was gathered over 20 years, but he recommended 10 years for a similar Fayetteville study “because it made sense for us.”
Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins said there are few similarities between Santa Clara and Fayetteville.
“What I recommend you do is what they did. They went to the district attorney,” said Dawkins. “They went to their county commissioner group. I recommend that you go before the county of Cumberland. We’re talking about, yeah, we can do another study. We’ll all read it, and then it’ll go on a shelf.”
Dawkins said he would recommend that the council consult with the Cumberland County school board because dealing with gun violence “starts with better education.”
“Invest in school structurers. Invest upfront. I just want to remind the council that we want to spend money and save the world and help people, and that’s great. But this is not our responsibility,” Dawkins said.
“This, I think, starts with the county, which is your health, education and welfare.”
Dawkins said Cumberland County gets funding that the city does not get to address issues such as gun violence.
“It starts with schools,” he added. “Encourage the adoption of gun safety policies.
“At some point, it takes personal responsibility. So, if you want to protect your family in your home, you’ve got to make sure that a gun is not available for a child or a young person to get or play with. Because consequences occur,” Dawkins continued.
“I’m not going to support another study … just to make ourselves feel good. I’m not going to do it.”
Ingram responded.
“To say that we don’t have any type of responsibility as it relates to gun violence, our police officers are responding, and our Fire Department is responding. They have to clean it up. That is a budget that we have to pay for. So, it is costing the city a hefty amount of dollars,” she said. “To say our city has no responsibility to help with the gun violence issues, that’s just disrespectful, and it’s wrong.”
Mayor Mitch Colvin said that whether the council likes it or not, gun violence impacts the city.
Councilwoman Kathy Jensen said a Fayetteville study on gun violence could be “part of our toolbox. … We really need to think about this.”
Banks-McLaughlin then addressed Dawkins’ comments.
“I’ve got to take a deep breath,” she said. “First, I do want to say that everyone is entitled to their own vote. So, we all know that. But what I am going to do is correct the individual who you all know is the mayor pro tem. For you to make those comments, which is so disrespectful to me as a mother who lost her child … (and) other family members who’ve lost their loved ones; to put the blame on the family members, that’s ridiculous.
“It does fall on the city,” she said. “We oversee public safety. So, it is our job to ensure that we do everything we can do to protect our city.”
The council voted 9-1, with Dawkins the lone dissenter, to move forward with the study.
Because the council cannot take formal action at a work session, the matter will be taken up again at its regular meeting on Feb. 13.
After the meeting, Dawkins said that his comments were misinterpreted.
“They were starting to say what I didn’t say,” he said. “All it is is a conversation for staff to come back to council to say what it costs. It will be hundreds of thousands of dollars. I also want to say to other members (that) I’m sorry they misunderstood me.”
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