Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams announced new steps to address violence in the city on Friday.
Speaking outside City Hall Lobby, Williams said he’s heard from hundreds of residents who want to do something about the violence, particularly among young people.
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A reporter asked Williams if the plan was a city initiative or a mayor initiative.
“This is everyone,” Williams said. “This is city, county, schools, everybody.”
City data shows 22 people have been shot this year in Durham, including seven people shot from Feb. 12 through Feb. 19.
Friday’s announcement comes after a report that showed Durham’s crime trended down in 2025 compared to 2024.
“It is really hard to celebrate that we are trending the right way when we have such a concentrated string of shootings among so many young people, so I don’t want to discount the work that we are doing, but it's just not enough,” Williams said.
In a release from the Durham County Sheriff's Office Friday, deputies said the community is "facing a heartbreaking and critical moment."
"In the last week alone, seven people were shot in the city and another in the unincorporated part of the county - including the tragic death of a child, bringing the total to six lives lost in the city this year," the statement read in part. "We must act now to stop this violence by cutting off the supply of stolen weapons. We need every resident to prioritize firearm security to ensure these guns never reach the street by keeping personal firearms out of the hands of criminals and securing all guns at all times.”
It comes after a string of car-breakins in the Research Triangle Park area where several unsecured guns were taken from cars.
Williams said the city of Durham is working with the Violence Reduction Center at the University of Maryland.
“Many say, ‘Why are you working with someone way out in another state?’” Williams said. “This center works with cities across the entire country that deal with the same issues that we're dealing with right here in Durham.
“This center has proven results working with cities across the country because what they do, they go into those cities and they work with people on the ground.”
Williams said he’s looking to work with “contributors and not just commentators.”
“I’m looking to work with individuals that are willing to come in [and] be embraced to this overall plan that includes, the county, the schools, the DA [district attorney], the judicial system, the sheriff, the police chief, nonprofit organizations, everyone that actually gives a dang about having safer streets in Durham,” Williams said. “This plan is for you.”
Williams mentioned several community events focused on reducing violence. It includes a virtual session on Feb. 24, and two in-person events on March 13 and March 20.
“These sessions are about listening first,” Williams said.
Watch: Durham mayor's plan to bring down violent crime, some residents don't agree
Williams called public safety “a shared responsibility.” He outlined the steps in reducing the city’s violence in three phases:
1. Phase one: Shared learning and identifying strategies: Public talks featuring national experts and practitioners from cities across the country who are successfully reducing gun violence and saving lives.
2. Phase two: Planning and implementation: Workshops to map existing community assets, take stock of and reflect on previous efforts, and identify lessons learned to inform future plans.
3. Phase three: Improving collaboration: A multi-day event in Durham with national experts to explore proven violence reduction strategies and inform the selection of strategies tailored to Durham.
“What matters is, are we going to move forward together as a community?” Williams said.
A reporter asked Williams what type of support he’s received from the city council, whose members were not present on Friday.
“The city council is supportive of the comprehensive plan, but I think that our votes have to reflect our own accountability,” Williams said. “My focus is not to go back and forth about what council member voted for this and what council member voted against it.
“We all have a right to our own votes. That's the community's job. My job is to focus on what we're going to do moving forward.”
Williams’ news conference on Friday got cut short by frustrated residents who shouted questions at the mayor.
One man said in attendance said, “There is nothing for kids to do in Durham. Kids [don’t have anything] to do but get in trouble.”
Related: Durham mayor sounds the alarm about ‘out of control’ youth violence
Previous: Violent crime was down in Durham in 2025, report shows
More: 'I am tired of kids dying': Durham mayor speaks out against gun violence
Creation of Durham street safety teams
Williams also mentioned the creation of street safety teams that are “community managed” and “community driven.”
“We are looking for faith leaders, community-based organizations, youth advocates, law enforcement, violence interruption practitioners [and] neighborhood representatives,” Williams said.
Williams said the city will provide a form next Tuesday on the city website looking for volunteers.
Initiatives that Durham has tried to reduce crime
On Friday, Williams mentioned several initiatives the city has tried to implement to reduce crime. It includes:
- City leaders voting against a proposed three-year, $650,000 deal in March 2024 on a new agreement with the gunfire detection system ShotSpotter. The city used ShotSpotter on a one-year, pilot basis in 2023.
- City leaders opting not to move forward with Peregrine Technologies’ proposal for a Real Time Crime Center. Williams said the software was “not even entertained” by city leaders.”
- The discontinued anti-violence program Bull City United. According to the county, more than
$1.06 million of the program's $2.57 million budget is funded by the city of Durham. The program had 20 full-time employees. Several employees with the program were charged with various crimes since the program was founded. County leaders began reviewing Bull City United after Rashawn Harwell, who was involved in the program, was charged as an accessory after the fact in the 2022 murder of a 19-year-old. Harwell was found guilty of second-degree murder.
“I’m not saying any of those are the silver-bullet [solution], but I’m saying that we have to entertain things that will actually contribute to [solutions] when it’s coming from the professionals that are doing this work on a daily basis,” Williams said.
Williams pointed to the community safety HEART program [Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams] and the Durham County Department of Social Services.
“None of it is enough,” Williams said. “I invite the community. Everyone is willing to work together to help save lives in this community. I invite you all.”
