Violent crime is on the rise
in Greensboro so far this year
there have been 23 homicides,
647 aggravated assault with a firearm,
both up from the same time frame in 2021.
So how did the candidates from
a plan to tackle the problem?
Let's find out before you go
for your vote to be counted.
Alright, welcome back to our conversation
with the candidates for mayor in Greensboro.
We are now talking about violence
because police say it is a
growing concern in our Community.
The city recently launched a new crime
mapping tool to help citizens see how
their neighborhood is being impacted.
When you look at the violent
crimes over the past six months,
it's clustered in certain areas
of the city and some people online
are calling for resources to be
diverted from the low crime areas
to go to the high crime areas.
What do you think of their idea,
Councilman? Building
the reality is crime is an
epidemic state in our community.
It's by far the greatest it has been
over this last five year period,
and So what we need to do on violent crime,
consistent with their ideas and thoughts
is we need prevention and intervention.
We need to tackle the root causes of crime,
do things like other cities have done,
and have a guarantee of jobs for children
who live in low income neighborhoods.
So they're off the streets during the summer
when a lot of the violent crime occurs.
But they're also getting
opportunities to develop job skills
and change their family trees.
But we also need to provide more resources
to our Greensboro Police Department.
We have, according to the local Government
Commission or the School of Government,
the worst response times of any
major city in North Carolina.
So we need to provide more resources
to the Police Department so that
they can respond adequately to
conditions as they exist.
That means that we have to do things
differently than we've done in the past.
I would provide moral leadership that
is different rather than turning down
federal grants for needed police equipment,
like the incumbent mayor has done,
provide the police what they
need and tackle root causes.
You'll
be able to finish that with your final
thought. Let's get your thoughts on gun
violence and what we can do differently.
Well, so. First, let me say that I am
very proud that I have been endorsed
by the Greensboro Police Officers
Association and the Greensboro
Professional Firefighters Association.
I think it's very important
that they support.
They are the boots on the ground
and we have many conversations.
I've also been financially supported by
former Chief Police Chief Brian James,
which I'm very proud of.
I think he is the best chief we
have had in a very long time.
He and I worked together along with
the Police Department and community
groups because we're not going
to police our way out of this,
we're going to have to look at programs.
Programs such as Cure Violence and run well,
and other ways that we can
work with the community.
To see how it is that they
need to be policed.
I know that I can't tell somebody how
the Police Department should be police,
but I can work with them.
I can get the tools that they need and
that's what I have a history of doing,
which is why they came out and supported
me all right. And that's right
there at the bell. I could hear the
countdown. What do you say to that Sir, sure.
You know, endorsements are something
I've been endorsed by the North
Carolina Police 11 association,
the largest police organization in the state.
I've also been endorsed by
former chief Wayne Scott,
who spoke to my integrity and my telling
it like it is and doing what's right.
Both ensuring that there is fair policing
but also the police had resources,
whether it's through federal
grants or otherwise.
But the most important thing is
whether or not a mayor has a clear
vision and a plan to actually
solve the problem of violent crime.
I have that plan and encourage
people to learn about it
all right, and you have 30 seconds
to talk about guns and violence,
so working with the police chief,
he developed the 500 jobs initiative.
We do have a youth jobs program
to help kids in at risk areas,
and it is a great program.
I worked with him on ways that
we could extend our resources,
civilian traffic enforcement.
It is a bill that is currently working
its way through the through the Senate.
We are looking at creative ways that
we can make our resources go further.
I think it's important I get
in the cars and I drive along,
drive around with police and
fire to get their input. OK,
alright so these are quick but
we want to make sure that you're
getting a good smattering of what
each one of these candidates thinks
about each one of these topics.
Another major issue in our
community is food insecurity.
It is so dire right now in Greensboro.
In fact, Urban Ministry says there
are about to run out of food
for folks in the next two weeks.
WFM Y is helping with an emergency food
drive this Friday at the Walmart on
battleground from 9:00 AM until 6:00.
So let's make this our next topic,
Mayor Vaughn,
what can you do to make sure
that everyone in our community
has food on the table?
So I am the past chair of the North
Carolina Metro Mayors Coalition and we had
a meeting about two weeks ago and that
was one of the topics that we discussed
because it is not unique to Greensboro,
it is something that is happening all
over our state and all over our country
and what we talked about really is that
it is a distribution issue that when
you go into most most grocery stores,
the shelves are full.
When you talk with Second Harvest Food Bank,
they have the food,
so it's how do we get the food
to the individual families?
One thing that we talked about
is during COVID.
Delivery methods have changed quite a bit.
People are shopping online.
They're getting things delivered,
so we are looking at a way that we can
actually have groceries delivered to the
individuals who need the food the most.
It might mean that we have to
subsidize certain delivery fees,
but it is a few food distribution issue
more than it is a food scarcity issue.
So I believe the metro mayors as
we've come together and we put our
resources together that we have plans.
The City of Green.
A lot of people just can't afford food.
It's gone up so much. How do you fix
that? Greensboro is one of the top 10
most food insecure cities in the country.
Through all is it should not be that
way and it doesn't have to be that way,
but it takes changing and moving again
from just talking about developing plans
to actually taking concrete actions that
break away from the failed status quo.
That includes doing things like making sure
that we prioritize our transportation system.
We might not always be able to control
where the grocery store is located,
but where you have a public
transportation system that allows
people to quickly go from their homes.
To the grocery store that
makes them more food secure.
But that means that we can't
do as we've done.
For example,
recently in connection with
the American rescue plan.
Supported by the incumbent mayor and
organizations who are well connected
being prioritized and then receiving
$5000 to repair broken windows.
While we have persistent problems
with food insecurity,
a lack of transportation,
the Police Department not having
the adequate resources they
need to be successful,
we can.
All
right, hold that thought we'll be
back. So when I was elected,
Mayor Greensboro was actually
the number one food insecure.
Area, it's actually our MSA.
It is not the city of Greensboro.
It includes Guilford,
Rockingham and Randolph.
We are now moving down that
list to number 14 and I am glad
that we have made progress.
We have a lot of progress to move forward,
but we have the correct people at the
table looking at creative results.
What is it that we can do?
How can we work with our nonprofits
like Second Harvest Food Bank,
backpack beginnings?
How do you respond to that?
I respond by saying we can do better.
We have everything we need to
be successful in Greensboro.
It has to move away from just talk
and discussion of the problem to
taking action that includes again
providing more public transportation
so people can actually reach grocery
stores and are more food secure.
It means doing things like providing
guarantees to grocers who are
looking at investing in Greensboro.
You know, in addition to being
a Council person, I'm in the in
private business as an attorney.
What businesses want is some certainty.
And decreasing of risk the city can
provide guarantees and encourage grocers.
So coming up next perhaps
the most important question
you're going to want to hear.
That's after the break.