COLUMBIA, S.C. — Residents of Columbia came out to a public forum on Thursday to voice their concerns about crime in the city and possible solutions.
Mark Hill, a Columbia native and member of the G.A.N.G.S. In Peace organization, shares his fear for the Columbia community. He says continuing violence throughout the city is an ongoing issue.
"We get to the point that we're scared to enjoy life, we're scared to go to the mall, we're scared to go to the movies, we're even scared to go to school," Hill said. "When our children are scared to go to school, that's a problem. That's a problem that needs to be addressed, and a resolution needs to come ASAP."
Hill was one of many concerned citizens that showed up for the public forum hosted by Public Safety Solutions for America, a national violence prevention group.
The event centered around a conversation between Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and concerned residents of Columbia. They spoke about issues with crime in the city, what works and what needs improvement.
Rickenmann says the city has created a new director of violence prevention position.
"There's a lot of groups trying to do things yet we saw shootings go up we're seen violent crime escalate," Rickenmann said. "So we knew it was time for us to quarterback this, let's bring groups together that work great and let's figure out, are we duplicating services are we not reaching all the segments."
Tommy Olds also showed up for the event. He has concerns for the future of the city if its youth aren't taken care of and don’t have the right resources.
"A lot of kids now don't have the money to go to the theaters, go to the skating rink, those things. I think there needs to be more facilities for the kids to have free opportunities for the children to do things for free, where they can learn and also enjoy life and be a pleasant environment and of course be a secure environment, so we need more funding for those things," Olds said.
Mayor Rickenmann says with budget discussions coming up, money to parks and recreation facilities are a must
"We gotta get kids more engaged in sports. We gotta get them out of their house. We gotta get them involved jobs, paying kids to clean up neighborhoods."
For Hill, Thursday's event is just one piece in solving the crime issue.
"It's gonna take a village, it's not one individual that's going to change anything until we all come together, to all nonprofits, to all politicians on both sides of the aisle come together, roll up their sleeves and say we're going to battle this thing, that's the only way it's going to change."