Hundreds of at-risk high school students attended an annual event Friday geared toward directing Jacksonville's youth on the right path to success.
The event kicked off hours after the tenth homicide in the city this year.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said there is no one cause for the crime rate or solution that is going to fix it, but help is on the way.
Bringing together 300 at-risk students into one room was the relatively easy part. The challenge is to get them to change their mindset.
“There is a sub-culture that has to be penetrated not just with programs, but presence," said Operation Save Our Sons founder Bishop John Guns.
Guns says the presence of former coaches, law enforcement and motivational speakers is a crucial first step into breaking the idea that drugs and violence are the answer.
“Young men don’t know themselves, they’re followers and not leaders at this point, but if they come face to face with the real them, they’ll be able to recognize that they are somebody special and needed in our community," said motivational speaker M. Lewis Boone.
The Jacksonville community is coming off the highest homicide numbers in over a decade. Ten so far in 2020.
‘You’ve got a small number of people that are involved in that gang, drug and gun culture and what drives these numbers is them victimizing themselves over and over again and obviously there’s concern that innocent people may be bystanders and that’s the challenge," Williams said.
Williams said programs like shot-spotter, the real-time crime center and Crime Stoppers are working, but more communication is needed and coming to the city.
“We’re going to create some pathways to get them to share information to us anonymously, you’re going to have things out here that are going to make it easier," Williams said.
These leaders say both community and police efforts need to be consistent to see a change in our crime rate.
“The change occurs because the community engages these kids. If we show commitment, we’re going to see lives changes," Guns said.
The founder of the seven-year program said the annual event is the first step in a lengthy process.
"They didn’t get here overnight and we’re not going to get them out overnight, but collectively we can move them," Guns said.
Williams added that since October, the International Association of Police Chiefs has been working with the sheriff's office to look at efficiencies and where the department can improve. He adds more hires are likely in the upcoming budget cycle.
The full interview with Williams can be found below:
