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Durham Weighs Gun Violence Plan and Three Futures for NC 147

One proposal is intended to save lives in the near term. The other could reshape central Durham for generations. Both still face questions about money and execution.

A young resident of the Cornwallis Road community put Durham’s gun violence crisis in plain terms Thursday.

“How are kids supposed to go to school when they’re afraid to walk outside because of the gunshots?” Khadija Jabbarkhel asked the Durham City Council during a work session.

Some time later, council members discussed a potential half-billion-dollar transformation of the Durham Freeway, which tore through historically Black communities when it was built.

The two discussions were very different, but shared a central question: Can Durham turn years of community concern and planning into coordinated action?

A Plan to Reduce Shootings by 10% Each Year

City and county staff presented a five-part framework intended to reduce homicides, nonfatal shootings, and shooting-related hospitalizations by 10% each year.

The recommendations grew out of more than 15 community listening sessions, an analysis of Durham homicides from 2021 through 2025, and a three-day Summit on Saving Lives involving 26 community members, service providers, law enforcement officials, and government leaders.

The data showed that 90% of the homicides studied involved firearms, while 66% grew out of disputes rather than another crime. More than half involved a group or gang member, although estimated group and gang membership totaled only 430 to 685 people, or about 0.2% of Durham’s population.

Residents repeatedly described Durham as “resource-rich, execution-poor,” with numerous programs operating separately while people at the greatest risk fall through the cracks.

The working group’s recommendations call for:

Focused deterrence that combines direct support with accountability for the relatively small number of people at the greatest immediate risk of shooting or being shot.
Renewed community-based street outreach, with stronger management and oversight. Staff emphasized that this would not simply revive Bull City United.
Neighborhood partnerships in two or three areas where gun violence is concentrated, with residents helping decide how to improve physical conditions and bring services into those communities.
Trauma-informed behavioral interventions to help people recognize triggers, manage conflicts, and change their responses before a dispute becomes violent.
A separate youth summit focused on prevention and the particular challenges facing children and teenagers.

Community Safety Director Ryan Smith said focused deterrence would lead with meaningful help, including employment assistance, counseling, life coaching, and, when necessary, relocation.

“Support is not a brochure,” Smith told the council.

No money was approved Thursday. Staff members are still determining what Durham can do with existing resources, what additional staffing and programs would cost, and whether some city and county spending could be redirected.

The framework also calls for at least two dedicated staff members and a public advisory board that would regularly review results. Staff expects to return in October with details about management, staffing, implementation, and funding. A resolution formally endorsing the five strategies is also expected to return to the council for a vote.

Three Options for the Durham Freeway

The council also discussed the final Reimagine Durham Freeway study, which examined N.C. 147 between Swift Avenue and Interstate 885.

Built beginning in the 1970s, the freeway demolished or divided homes, businesses, churches, and neighborhoods in Hayti, Brookstown, and other historically Black communities. The study offers three possible futures:

Replace parts of the freeway with a street-level boulevard, restoring intersections, neighborhood connections, sidewalks, public transit access, and space for housing and development.
Keep the freeway but build caps or land bridges above it, creating parks, public spaces, and new connections between neighborhoods.
Modernize the existing freeway to improve safety and traffic operations while reducing its footprint in parts of downtown.

Current estimates place all three options in roughly the same expensive neighborhood, around $450 million to $500 million. The city hasn't selected an option, secured construction money, or established a timetable for beginning the work.

Transportation staff is asking the N.C. Department of Transportation to evaluate the condition and remaining life of bridges and elevated structures along the corridor. That information could help determine whether rebuilding the existing freeway makes financial sense or whether Durham should pursue a more dramatic change.

There’s also no longer a federal funding source specifically available for the major construction work. For now, the city will continue its technical analysis with help from NCDOT and the Reconnecting Communities Institute so Durham has a developed plan if state or federal money becomes available.

Mayor Leonardo Williams said he favors the freeway-cap option because it could reconnect neighborhoods and create usable land above the roadway. Council Member Chelsea Cook cautioned that removing or redeveloping the freeway would not automatically repair the damage it caused and could create new displacement pressures if Durham isn’t careful.

Watch highlights from the meeting via our partners at SeeGov!

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