COLUMBIA, S.C. — The annual Stomp Out Crime youth violence event brought dozens of vendors, nonprofits, and local leaders to Dutch Square Mall on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday was a day of celebration, and looking forward. The Dutch Square Mall parking lot was filled with dozens of vendors and local officials, connecting and tackling the challenges of youth violence. Hundreds of community members gathered for the event throughout the afternoon, including Dr. Monica Elkins.
"It doesn't matter your zip code; crime is crime," she said. "And crime doesn't care about your race, your color or your zip code; we have to come together."
Fifth Circuit solicitor Byron Gibson said solutions come from partnerships with the community at events like this.
"The level of crime, the dangerousness of communities, the influx of guns -- all of those things -- it's hard to contend with," he said. "We have to remind folks, we're going to prosecute those matters to the fullest of our ability. We need community support in being partners when things happen. We need those folks to come forward. We need witnesses to come forward so we can hold those people accountable."
The event comes just over a week after a deadly double shooting took the life of a 16-year-old in Richland County. According to Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, a group of teens had a disagreement that ended in the death of that teen and put a 14-year-old behind bars.
"If we don't raise them the right way, and when I say 'we,' that's all of us," he said. "It doesn't have to be the biological parents; we have to raise these children. If we don't, the streets are going to do it, and they're going to end up in prison or the cemetery."
Many local agencies, including the city of Columbia, partnered to organize "Stomp Out the Violence." Director of Violence Prevention Trevon Fordham said this is just one step toward providing opportunities for young people.
"We need places where instead of being out on the street corner, they can have a good time, they get free food, they can get free clothing, they can get all these things, and we need to do that more," he said.