COLUMBIA, S.C. — Residents in the 29203 area code, including lawmakers, church leaders and school leaders and law enforcement, held a round table to discuss strategies to reduce crime Tuesday night.
The Greenview area community had the the chance to ask law enforcement questions about crime in their neighborhoods and the recent shootings that have taken place.
One resident, trying to hold back tears said, “I was awakened to gun shots and I felt them, they were so close that my body vibrated.”
She went on to describe the moment she heard gun shots near her home, “I’m scared and I’m mad, because I never thought I would be in a position where that would happen to me.”
Chief Holbrook responded to this resident saying, “Greenview is part of our coverage area and just in the last 28 months, we’ve had over 5,000 rounds fired. Those bullets go somewhere.”
One resident asked if parents are checking their children's rooms and their possessions for guns.
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Sheriff Lott said, “People with kids who are not a parent, who allows that child to have that gun, so where do they keep it? They keep it in the house, parents just don't go look for it.”
Representative Chris Hart says the solution is stronger gun charges, saying their lesser crimes that carry steeper sentences. “For stealing a bag of potato chips, you can get 10 years in prison. When it comes to gun legislation, you could do it a 100 times and still get out on probation," said Hart.
A representative with the Columbia Urban League called for the community to improve their connection with young people, saying “A lot of times we sit high and look low and we forget that we were young at one time.”
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Gwendolyn Singletary, Executive Director of the Wiley Kennedy Foundation and organizer of Tuesday’s event, says the aim is to find solutions to ending gun violence.
“We know we need to make some major changes, and we’ve had a major onslaught of crime in this area, especially gun violence,” Singletary said. “We want the people in the community to say more. If you see something, say something.”
Some of the strategies discussed included increased police patrols, tougher gun charges, more summer programs for kids and improved parental supervision.