WS Chronicle

 TEVIN STINSON 

THE CHRONICLE  

Earlier this week the city’s Public Safety Committee received the mid-year crime report as well as updates on several programs and initiatives, including the Cure Violence Initiative. 

Mid-Year Crime Review  

The mid-year crime review provided an update on crime statistics and trends in the city of Winston-Salem, including year-to-date comparisons for crimes. Updates regarding recruiting and retention, firearm seizures and missing persons were also shared.  

According to information provided by the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) violent crime is down when compared to the same point in time last year. When looking at the year-to-date (YTD) percentage change, violent crimes including homicide, robbery and aggravated assault are down a combined 90%. Property crimes including burglary and motor vehicle theft have also gone down. There have been three murders in Winston-Salem this year compared to eight at the same point in time last year.  

While most crimes are down, larceny is up 10%. Larceny accounts for nearly 40% of the “Part 1” crimes cleared by police. Part 1 crimes are the more serious crimes reported to law enforcement. WSPD Assistant Chief Chris Diamont said they have been working hard to clear larceny cases.  

The WSPD has cleared 3,489 “Part 2” crimes this year. Part 2 crimes include illegal drugs, DWI, traffic violation, simple assault, vandalism, trespassing, and others.  

Missing persons has been a focus for Chief William Penn since he was sworn in. On average, there are 74 missing persons cases and about 878 a year. From Jan. 1 to March 27 there were 232 missing persons and runaways. 

To help with missing persons cases the WSPD is utilizing social media and a new website. They also brought on a new police bloodhound named Bo, trained to help locate those missing and runaways.  

Forsyth Wins 

In response to a spike in community violence in 2022, the City of Winston-Salem partnered with Forsyth County Public Health Department and Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods to implement an initiative called Cure Violence to the city.   

Cure Violence Global (CVG), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, approaches violence with the understanding that violence can be a contagious disease that can be treated with the right public health strategies. The model aims to reduce violence by implementing violence prevention programs. According to their website, Cure Violence Global does this “through a rigorous, scientific, and data-driven approach.” CVG has been implemented in cities across the country and outside the U.S.  

The local Cure Violence initiative is called Forsyth Wins and the focus area for the organization is East Winston. Terrel Harris, who works as a violence interrupter with Forsyth Wins, said their goal has been to build relationships with young people in the community who may be headed down the wrong path, and connect them with the resources they need to turn their lives around. Currently the program has 28 participants, but the initiative has impacted more than 300 individuals and families in East Winston.  

Dr. Erica Payton is part of Forsyth Wins evaluation team. UNC Greensboro’s Center for Housing and Community Services has been tasked with evaluating implementation and impact. Dr. Payton, who is an assistant professor of public health at UNCG, said the evaluation will focus on the reduction in neighborhood violence, reduction in involvement in neighborhood violence by individuals in target area, change in community acceptance to violence, and changes in available alternatives to violence and access to desired resources and opportunities.  

Forsyth Wins has also built relationships with other organizations and businesses in the community including Goodwill, Parenting Path, Family Services, and several others. “The whole purpose of our program has been to infiltrate from a cultural competency standpoint, the gun violence that goes on in the East Winston community,” said Harris when discussing Forsyth Wins.  

“When guys come home from prison, they usually come see us and we try to get them situated on a path where they don’t slip back into that gap … I grew up in East Winston and I want the best for my community.”  

Velma Terry, who lost her son, Te’Ore Terry, to gun violence in 2021, serves as site supervisor for Forsyth Wins. “Who better to advocate … than a mother who has lost her child,” she said. Terry has been working for the Forsyth Wins since the beginning. She said what sets them apart is that they are in the community every day making connections and building relationships.  

“We are boots on the ground … we are going in places nobody else wants to go and the youth gravitate towards us because we are one of them,” Terry continued. “I’m not from here but my heart is here, my heart is here with the youth and getting them to put the gun down … getting them to find a new way of life, to change their thinking.” 

For more information on Forsyth Wins and how to get involved, visit www.forsythwins.org.