alleviating the charlotte public health crisis by reducing violent crime

Growing up, Kendrick Cunningham and his neighboring friends did not have easy access to a great park or adequate entertainment venues that could have served as an avenue for healthy recreational activity in walking distance of their homes. Like youth who reside in the crescent today, Kendrick's park and rec was the streets or any large enough field his friends could find for a football match near their neighborhood. Many of our youth and emerging adults growing up in Charlotte’s marginalized working family communities live in concentrated poverty which is a contemporary traumatic experience.

Kendrick is a survivor of the Beatties Ford Mass Shooting that took place on Juneteenth 2020. He understands that communities are grappled with combatting community gun violence. Approximately 50.9% of the homicides that take place in Charlotte occur in crescent communities. The issue of violent crime compromises the health, wellness, and safety of Charlotte residents. Experiencing violent incidents can contribute to an increase in depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. Teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 24 constitute nearly a third of all victims and a half of all suspects of community gun violence in Charlotte. This alarming statistic raises the urgency of addressing mental health needs in our schools now!

Additional gun violence prevention policies Kendrick Supports

Protect existing funding for the Governor's Crime Commission and the North Carolina Office of Violence Prevention
Work alongside violence prevention groups and stakeholders to establish a GVP Watchdog Coalition
Advocate to the Mecklenburg County of Commissioners for the development West Mecklenburg Regional Recreational Facility
Support legislation that establishes universal Pre-K, Before-School Programming and After-School Programming
Work alongside the City of Charlotte to increase awareness about the Mayor's Youth Employment Program

kendrick has worked to reduce violent crime in charlotte since 2021

The Charlotte Crime Prevention Agenda seeks to changing the district two youth narrative by reducing their need to participate in criminal activity

Kendrick has worked TO PREVENT THE SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF ILLICIT GUNS IN THE CITY OF CHARLOTTE

Community Gun Violence has become easier to participate in the twenty first century with the advancement of technology. Guns stolen out of vehicles in our city are often being discovered during homicide investigations. Ghost guns, guns that can be assembled without a serial number and keep owners unidentifiable, have gone rampant in our streets.

To mitigate these alarming statistics, Kendrick has worked with gun violence prevention stakeholders to support the work of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Crime Gun Suppression Team and advocate that they also pursue ghost guns. As of the beginning of this year, the team has made a large quantity of significant arrests that has led to the seizure of several firearms and the recovery of many stolen guns. Ensuring the success of this team means less irresponsible and reckless gun owners in our city.

kENDRICK HAS CONSPIRED WITH LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL LEADERS TO INCREASE GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION

Kendrick firmly believes that tackling violent crime is the foremost challenge our district grapples with, affecting economic development and affordable residential development. Added on with the stereotypes associated with high-crime communities, no one wants to eat, play, shop or sleep where they do not feel safe at. Since the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2021, Kendrick has been diligently deploying the historic resources provided by this legislation with gun violence prevention stakeholders across the state.

Throughout 2023, Kendrick collaborated with the Biden-Harris administration, Community Justice Action Fund, North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, and municipal elected officials statewide to build the necessary infrastructure to harness monumental funding that will directly benefit working family communities. Their collective efforts have shifted the narrative on how governments respond to the surge in violent crime within their communities. Traditionally, responses to violent crime have fallen solely on public safety departments, posing a unique challenge to achieving justice in working family communities. Thanks to their advocacy, Mecklenburg County is a pioneer, boasting the only Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) in the state. With the federal and the state of North Carolina governments establishing OVPs this year, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region has a unique opportunity to govern effectively and implement a comprehensive, whole-of-government, public health approach to reducing violent crime in our district utilizing federalism.

INVESTING IN THE RENOVATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF PARKS

Youth in West Mecklenburg County should not have to play in the streets. Many neighborhoods in this part of the county lack adequate parks and recreational infrastructure. This contributes to youth participating in crime to find something thrilling to do.

Kendrick championed the pathway forward in the creation of Dowd Park in the Historic Camp Greene community and the restoration Enderly Park. Kendrick will continue to advocate to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners for the renovation of existing parks and recs, as well as, the construction of new parks and recs in the western part of the county.