Task force takes on gun violence through community engagement in Rocky Mount

Community engagement is a pillar of the city’s efforts to curb violent crime, and it’s an approach activists have been taking in the city for decades.

With four murders last week, Rocky Mount is under a declared State of Emergency for crime.

A federal task force is on its way to the city, bringing agents and new policing tech in an attempt to crack down on gun and drug offenders in high-crime areas.

But another piece of the plan is community engagement.

“Meeting people that you’re not used to dealing with, finding out what’s going on and what’s available and what’s not happening,” Brenda Cooper told WRAL News.

Cooper has been doing that work for a long time.

She moved to South Rocky Mount nearly 40 years ago, and at first, she was ready to leave.

“I saw kids that were getting in trouble, and that were having trouble with school situations, the parents didn’t know what to do,”

But everything changed when Cooper woke up one morning to a crime scene in front of her home.

“When I saw that, I said we’ve got to do something,” Cooper said. “Either I’m doing something to help or I’m leaving the neighborhood.”

Cooper chose to do something.

It started by organizing trash pickups for neighborhood kids, and then came youth choirs and other after-school activities.

“The giving just became easy,” Cooper said. “Just deal with them in different ways and let them see how you do things to help people, other people.”

Cooper says many of those kids have grown into leaders of their own; however, the violence and unrest she’s fought against still lingers today.

This weekend, Cooper’s planning a community day at an amphitheater on South Church Street, complete with a cookout and conversations with city leaders.

The hope is to show young people there’s love in these neighborhoods – and that a better life is possible in Rocky Mount.

“We as a community, we have to step up,” Cooper said. “We have to show them that you know what, you can do better.”

In addition, the City of Rocky Mount is also offering a number of summer outreach programs for kids of all ages.