Durham council accepts crime-report item and advances violence‑reduction outreach after emotional public comments

The Durham City Council on March 2 voted unanimously to accept a pulled agenda item — the 2025 Fourth Quarter Crime Report — and to advance a violence‑reduction framework that city officials said will combine previous recommendations with local asset mapping and funding proposals.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment in which residents, students and community leaders urged the council to prioritize prevention: youth employment, after‑school programs, trauma‑informed mental‑health services and ecological design to reduce violence in neighborhoods such as Cornwallis. The motion to accept item number 12 was moved, seconded and approved 7‑0.

"We are asking the city to respond with safety and hope," said Anaya Henderson, a North Carolina Central University social‑work student, urging the council to treat gun violence "not just as a crime issue, but as a public‑health emergency." Kevin McIvor, chairman of the Durham County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, told the council, "These kids are dealing with trauma. Every single day is a diagnosis of hearing gunshots. When is it going to be enough?"

Several speakers criticized what they called a history of recommendations that were not implemented. "I went and dusted off my Safety and Wellness Task Force book... everything said 'not yet implemented,'" said Amanda Wallace, a Durham resident, who argued the city should invest in housing and services rather than expanding policing. Rafiq Zaidi said the community is frustrated that some homicides and investigations receive little public attention.

City officials said the current initiative will consolidate existing work, identify local providers and bring dollar figures to proposed programs so funding can be sought and spent. The city manager’s office notified the council that additional information requested at the Feb. 19 work session had been added to the packet for items 12 and 15. The manager and mayor announced multiple community listening sessions, including March 13 and additional sessions on March 20–21, to gather resident input.

"This violence reduction initiative is bringing everything we've ever done and everyone that is doing something right now and bringing it all together and putting a dollar figure with it," the city official said. The official asked residents to engage in the listening sessions and to help build and implement solutions locally.

The council’s acceptance of item 12 did not specify final funding allocations or contract awards; the council recorded a formal roll‑call vote of seven in favor, none opposed. The mayor adjourned the meeting following the vote.

What happens next: city staff and community partners will hold the announced listening sessions to develop the initiative’s priorities and cost estimates; further council action and budget decisions will follow as the city integrates the findings into the FY 2026–27 budget process.

Sources: public comments and council discussion during the Durham City Council meeting, March 2, 2026.