MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Gang violence erupted outside an anti-gang meeting in North Frayser Tuesday night, now many people in the community are losing hope that anything can be done to stop the violence.
Tuesday night, Community activist Joseph Hunter stood outside the North Frayser community center in the glare of blue lights and yellow crime scene tape. "We have a lot of good intentions but intentions don't stop bullets," he said.
From North Frayser to South Memphis, the bullets were flying Tuesday night. One teen was shot outside Hamilton High School, another outside the community center.
Paul Brunetti tells abc24.com, "I never got shot, never got stabbed." For 24-year-old Brunetti it's something to brag about. "It's just good to say, you've never been shot or stabbed and you live here all your life. We see it almost every day."
Despite efforts to curb gang violence, Brunetti doesn't see any progress. "It's just negative influences, everybody hangs around each other, they don't want anything new, they don't want anything better. They like it, they love it."
Brandon Hall was one of those. In 2008 he was locked up for attempted armed robbery; now the 23-year-old says he's trying to better himself. "If you want to make it, you have to change."
It's a step not many of Hall's friends have followed. Both he and Brunetti say community meetings won't fix the problem, so they issued a challenge to police. "If they get out here on the street more, show they care, they might see some change," Brunetti says.
That's Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong's motivation for changing precinct boundaries. The Frayser area is one that was affected the most by the new lines, which he hopes will give police more time on the street. Instead of intentions, he's hoping that actions will stop bullets.
The new precinct boundaries went into effect on January 1st.
