GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — There are just over two weeks left in 2024. Greensboro’s Office of Community Safety and its nonprofit partners want to prevent gun violence numbers from going up as we near the end of the year.
They want the community to participate in Guns Down December.
Last year, Greensboro had a record-breaking number of homicides. The end of the year, based on previous years, is known to see a spike in gun violence.
The city’s Office of Community Safety and its partner nonprofits don’t want this same ending for 2024.
“We’re calling for … a ceasefire. It’s really important to end the year … strong and keep our numbers down when it comes to losing bodies and losing people,” Gate City Coalition Program Director Ingram Bell said.
So far in 2024, there have been 41 homicides in Greensboro compared to 74 last year.
The most recent happened in the first week of December.
“The concept of … Guns Down December came from our community-based organizations that we partner with … wanting to do something to bring awareness to gun violence,” Office of Community Safety Division Manager Latisha McNeil said.