LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A top priority -- that's what Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the issue of crime in Little Rock is to him.
On Wednesday, Feb. 16, he outlined his plan to curb the violence two weeks after the City of Little Rock declared the recent uptick in violent crime a state of emergency.
There are a lot of pieces involved in the mayor's plan and most of it comes from the $2 million city leaders approved last night.
That money will go to organizations that will focus their time on the young people in the city.
Mayor Scott emphasized that this is a problem they can't fix on their own.
"It's going to take the entire community. It's an all-hands-on-deck approach, and so it's not an 'either or,' it's a 'both and,'" he said.
Saving the next generation... that's what Mayor Scott is pouring his focus into as Little Rock experiences an uptick in violent crime.
"We have teenagers who have access to military weapons, teenagers who are not adults, teenagers who do not see past the age of 25 because, for whatever reason, they've lost hope," he said.
These teenagers are at the heart of the recent crime, according to the mayor and the Little Rock Police Department Chief of Police, Keith Humphrey.
The majority of the victims in the 64 homicides in 2021, according to Mayor Scott, were between the ages of 11 and 24.
"That tells us that we have to get it right when it comes to prevention, intervention and treatment, and addressing root causes," he said.
Mayor Scott said they are coming at it with a holistic approach through community violence intervention, proactive policing, and helping fund 11 organizations dedicated to helping the city's youth.
"What that means is there's a new set of eyes, a new set of ideas on how we are addressing youth and young adult violence," he said.
One of those new set of eyes is Joe Vincent. His family-run non-profit, FAB44, has been around since 2014 and has already made an impact through things like sports, meals, and after-school programs.
"We were founded solely on community outreach, on being able to give back to the community," he said.
Now, Vincent's expanding that with help from the city, by creating a Labor Day program lawn service, but it'll be much more than getting their hands dirty.
"We want to take it a step further, because we want to make sure that we are striking the interest of a young entrepreneur that will look at maybe doing this, instead of going out and doing the unthinkable," he said.
Vincent hopes his program will not only help the city, but impact these kids' lives.
"I think it all results to, you know, one bottom line, and that's, you know, being able to teach them how to make money and how to use that money effectively, to make the situation better," he said.
Vincent's program will coincide with the city's non-emergency 311 hotline.
He believes this program could start in March.