BY CHRISTINA WILLIAMS

Editor’s NOTE: As most folks know, there was a fatal shooting with one person dead and several people injured Sunday morning at Elizabeth City State University. ECSU Police, State Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement are investigating the incident. The campus was placed lockdown and all students were asked to shelter in place until further notice.

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“Shelter in Place” seems to be replacing “Harbor of Hospitality” as the new Elizabeth City motto. But Elizabeth City is just a microcosm of our country today. School related shootings are a modern reality.

Nearly every day we hear about another shooting or another event or violent crime in Elizabeth City. More often than not, the perpetrators are under the age of 18. More often than not, these things happen after dark and in the same areas of the city. And there are a lot of the same usual suspects involved.

If you were to want to witness fights and bullets ring out for yourself, it’s literally not that hard to. Just go to Walkers Landing or Woodstock Apartments. Go to Speed Street. Go to the inner city after dark. So if we know the patterns, why are we not preparing more effective solutions? Why are we sweeping it under the rug and avoiding talking about it? We’re so afraid of giving our city a bad name that we forget that everyone in a small town whispers over the fences, and most people already know what’s going on. The city is not safe.

The Viking Fest shooting at Elizabeth City State University that occurred overnight on Sunday, April 27th is one of the most terrifying recent incidents where someone was killed, but these incidents are taking place with growing frequency. It’s damaging to our city’s reputation. It’s damaging to the mindset of the people who live here. Our students are being robbed of their opportunity to attend events without fear and danger.

Young people are getting a hold of guns. They are bringing them in thinking they’re cool and big and bad. They make posts on social apps of themselves in “unboxing” videos when they receive these gun shipments. It’s all fun and games to these youngsters. It’s become something that they participate in to fit in and be cool. It’s not all about drugs. It’s about beef. It’s about egos. It’s about boredom. It’s about girls. It’s about taking what they don’t want to earn. It’s about misplaced anger. And, it’s making everyone in the city feel hopeless and unsafe.

We need REAL leadership, not nepotism. We need to stop hiring from the good old boy network and hire people who are better equipped to handle these situations. In the city, and in the city police, and in the campus police – we need change. This isn’t to point fingers directly at any one individual, but serious changes just need to be made. Adaptations and adjustments must be made. We cannot continue on this self-destructive path of apathy. It is not normal. It is not healthy. The safety and well-being of students on all school campuses should be a top priority. Residents deserve a safe atmosphere all over the city. We all need to demand it.

The frequency of shootings in Elizabeth City is causing residents to change their habits and behaviors. It just isn’t safe to go out at night in the city. If you don’t get gas during the day, don’t stop at night to get it. If you need something from the store, it can wait til the morning. Don’t bring the baby in the car with you, they might catch a stray gangbanger’s bullet. Don’t sit alone in a parked car at night. So many precautions and thoughts enter our minds to simply survive that it’s exhausting.

While our so-called leaders are sugar coating what is happening, I offer this alternative viewpoint. I don’t sugar coat and I don’t pander. I’m calling it out for what it is because if we don’t do that, we are enabling the continuation of the status quo, and that is obviously part of the problem here. I do not believe in the attitude of “this is how it’s always been so this is how it’s always going to be”. Inactions have consequences.

So let’s talk about it. How do we make things safer? How do we get past the status quo? How do we feel safe again? Let’s stop being reactive and be proactive. If you see something, say something. Respect for each other’s opinions and ideas is paramount.

Until the city leadership admits that there are gangs here and they address them head on, this is never going to stop.

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There are several ways to submit anonymous tips in Elizabeth City.

For specific information related to the ECSU shooting, you must contact ECSU Campus Police at 252-335-3266 and you can ask to remain anonymous.

The Elizabeth City Police uses a FUSUS tip line. Just text 252-390-8477. You can send a text, pic, or video and remain anonymous.

You can also submit tips on the Sheriff’s app. Just search “Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office” and install the app.

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Christina Williams, a resident of Elizabeth City, is the Executive Director of the Paquotank Political Action Committee and Parliamentarian for the Northeast Carolina Republican Women.