Why DID the 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte erect

Stop the Violence billboards THROUGHOUT Charlotte?

 

In the year of 2020, there were 123 recorded murders in Charlotte. This is just under the mark set in 1993, where an all-time high of 129 murders was recorded. At that time, the 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte implemented a Stop the Violence campaign to help quell the surge in violence. Fast forward to 2021 and the 100 is once again implementing a campaign to mitigate violent Charlotte outcomes which disproportionately impact African American males under the age of 25 – the same citizens our organization was created to mentor and positively impact.

 

With 2020 (the second most violent year in the city’s history) in our review and the summer of 2021 (boasting one of the most anticipated and unprecedented demand to leave home due to COVID restrictions) clearly in our windshield, the 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte recognize the urgency to lead a campaign to STOP the VIOLENCE.

 

The goal of our STOP the VIOLENCE campaign is to bring about measurable reductions in Charlotte violent crimes. In addition to increasing our mentoring session focus on de-escalation and conflict resolution resources, we will execute the 3-phased approach detailed below:

 

1. Erect a host of Greater Charlotte billboards sparking conversations focused on galvanizing our community

2. Partner with anti-violence community initiatives/organizations who provide anti-violence programming

3. Engage Charlotte citizens in anti-violence community panels to showcase community solutions

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