GOLDSBORO, N.C. (WNCN) – It is the important conversation.
“People are isolated, and they are thinking and saying things. So, my job is to bring them together and talk about these issues,” Mark Colebrook said.
Colebrook is the CEO of Operation Unite Goldsboro. He said he puts on roundtables quarterly.
The roundtables consist of a collection of school and county leaders, law enforcement and community members. They spend time talking about problems and solutions.
Monday’s roundtable was held at the Rebuilding Broken Places CDC building in Goldsboro.
One of the topics, that is a big concern now, was gun violence.
“It’s happening in the morning. It’s happening in the afternoon. It’s happening wherever,” Colebrook said.
Francine Smith, who attended Monday’s roundtable, has been working to help combat gun violence for years.
“I work with kids. It’s my job here just to work with our children. I love them. I don’t want to see any of them in a casket,” she said.
Smith is the program manager for Rebuilding Broken Places. It is an organization dedicated to helping families in need in Wayne County.
“Gun violence itself is not new work for me, but it never gets easier,” Smith said.
Since late last week, there have been five shootings in Goldsboro.
“We need resources. We need other things. Other opportunities,” Smith said.
Since Friday, a 26-year-old attempted to murder a 3-year-old in a drive-by shooting, a woman was struck by gunfire while sitting on her porch, two people were taken to the hospital after a Saturday morning shooting and a woman was raped and kidnapped Saturday night.
“A band-aid approach won’t solve the problem. You have to look at what’s causing the problem,” Wesley Boykin said, a democratic candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives District four.
Colebrook also said community leaders will meet with law enforcement Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Goldsboro Police Department to talk about gun violence and even school safety.
Community members are welcome to come out.