NLR Police Working with Community to Stop Violence
By: Josh Berry
Updated: February 24, 2013
For the second time in a week during an Arkansas Stop the Violence Revival in remembrance of Jasmine Young members of the organization, North Little Rock Community and Samaritan Hill Baptist Church gathered in hopes no other parents have to lose a loved one like Pam Howard lost her daughter.
Howard cried, "So another innocent bystander life won't be lost like my daughter Jasmine Young."
Police say her 17-year-old daughter was murdered in a drive by shooting at a Little Rock convenient store January 30.
Howard added, "The way that she lost her life touched a lot of people."
It's affect even reached NLR Assistant Chief of Police Mike Davis.
"You know enough's enough," he remarked.
He stresses though it requires more than just law enforcement.
"We can arrest people all day long," Chief Davis said. "We can't do it by ourselves. It takes the community."
Solutions presented by that same community on the inside of the church doors Sunday afternoon included the hotly debated efforts on gun control.
"Should we have gun control?" one of the speakers, NLR High School Asst. Principle Winston Turner asked the group.
Even the question of "if" we need the control seemed to confuse those here.
"Well I guess those very same people that are deciding whether or not we should have it," Turner went on. "If they had a little drive-by at their house, they'd have a different attitude about it."
"We've got enough problems here already," Chief Davis agreed. "We're trying to solve problems and guns are not the answer as been evidenced."
Chief Davis however says working with communities and more importantly families beginning with parents is where it all has to start -- to stop these types of murders.
Arkansas Stop the Violence organizers say they plan to hold as many of these events as they can even, getting away from the churches to hit the same streets they say these crimes are happening.
They encourage the public to get out and help support these programs.
Howard cried, "So another innocent bystander life won't be lost like my daughter Jasmine Young."
Police say her 17-year-old daughter was murdered in a drive by shooting at a Little Rock convenient store January 30.
Howard added, "The way that she lost her life touched a lot of people."
It's affect even reached NLR Assistant Chief of Police Mike Davis.
"You know enough's enough," he remarked.
He stresses though it requires more than just law enforcement.
"We can arrest people all day long," Chief Davis said. "We can't do it by ourselves. It takes the community."
Solutions presented by that same community on the inside of the church doors Sunday afternoon included the hotly debated efforts on gun control.
"Should we have gun control?" one of the speakers, NLR High School Asst. Principle Winston Turner asked the group.
Even the question of "if" we need the control seemed to confuse those here.
"Well I guess those very same people that are deciding whether or not we should have it," Turner went on. "If they had a little drive-by at their house, they'd have a different attitude about it."
"We've got enough problems here already," Chief Davis agreed. "We're trying to solve problems and guns are not the answer as been evidenced."
Chief Davis however says working with communities and more importantly families beginning with parents is where it all has to start -- to stop these types of murders.
Arkansas Stop the Violence organizers say they plan to hold as many of these events as they can even, getting away from the churches to hit the same streets they say these crimes are happening.
They encourage the public to get out and help support these programs.
