DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — An anti-violence program in Durham has been discontinued, county officials announced Friday.
Bull City United was phased out by the Community Intervention and Support Services department, effective Friday. The county said the department’s decision was based on its commitment to continuously evaluate and adapt its efforts to ensure the most impactful and sustainable outcomes.
“The CISS department is dedicated to facilitating a smooth transition by offering support and connecting individuals to career and professional development resources as they seek new opportunities, at their request,” Assistant County Manager of Community Well-Being Joanne Pierce said in a statement.
Bull City United was established in November 2016 in response to escalating gun violence in Durham County. It was first focused on addressing shootings in two census tracts with a team of seven staff members. In 2021, the city of Durham expanded the program through funding, employing 18 additional staff members, bringing the total to 25 working across six census tracts, according to the county.
The county said at the time of its discontinuation, Bull City United had a budget of $2.58 million, including $1.07 million from the City of Durham. It had 14 full-time employees and six contractors, who will be impacted by a reduction in the county’s workforce.
Bull City United employed workers who were formerly imprisoned and those who went through the criminal justice system.
“You had to have a past to work with Bull City United,” Kevin Johnson, a former violence interrupter with the program, told CBS 17 in August. “You had to have respect on your name. You had to have come through the dark to shine like a light for people to see you.
The discontinuation of Bull City United comes after the program came under review by Durham County in August due to the arrests of multiple employees. CBS 17 first started reporting on the program’s issues in 2022 when an outreach worker was arrested for possession with intent to sell and deliver crack cocaine.
In 2022, Durham County also voted to spend $6 million on a new program headquarters. Bull City United worked in different areas of the city to prevent shootings, but now leaders are left searching for different solutions.
Durham Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton, who once pushed for the program’s expansion, said, “We’ve had some pretty high-profile setbacks with the program in the last couple of years. There’s no secret. Good leadership calls for looking at programs after they’ve run for a while and making decisions.”
When asked for message to taxpayers who supported Bull City United, Middleton said, “I’ll say that we’ve had victories with this program. There have been instances where violence was interrupted.”
“We also need to talk about what we need to do tactically in the short-term right now,” he said. “Tonight in our city, gunfire is going to go off somewhere whether it’s covered or not.”
City leaders, including Middleton, told CBS 17 they believe the county’s decision does not mean the concept of the program is a failure.
“No policy or program can be what we want it to be when operating in isolation,” Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams said in a statement. “I hope lessons were learned from our time with Bull City Unity and other similar programs from around the country. That way, if the county entertains bringing it back, we will have more data to implement better. The city stands ready to support as always.”
Source: Fox 8 News Channel
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