PINE BLUFF, Ark. — After a deadly few days, the Pine Bluff community is creating a plan to stop gun violence.
On Tuesday, a man was shot and killed in his apartment, while another man was killed and a 6-year-old was shot and injured this weekend.
For Pine Bluff's 15 victims of gun violence, people rang the bell at Elm Grove Baptist Church Tuesday afternoon.
It was a solemn reminder of the work that still needs to be done.
A group of friends rang the bell to honor the victims, including 25-year-old Keyyontae Vignaude, who was studying to be a barber at Northern Technical College.
Vignaude died at Regional Park early Sunday morning.
"He was always one to light up the room [and] always came with good energy every time," Vignaude's former classmate Cetiona Maxwell said. "You couldn't miss him."
Along with prayers for those affected by the shootings, there was also a discussion of how to make it stop.
"It really starts at home," Vignaude's former classmate Natile' Ingram said. "The parents need to be aware of what their children are doing."
For years, pastors in Pine Bluff have worked to combat violence, including through mentorship programs and school assistance.
"We are not waiting on somebody to ride in on a white horse and say, 'We are going to help y'all stop this,'" Pine Bluff Rev. Jesse Turner said. "We who are in Pine Bluff know better how to solve our problems than someone outside."
Now, they are taking further action as the pastors have given the Pine Bluff Police Department a list of recommendations to get guns off the streets, including increased traffic stops and vehicle searches for illegal weapons.
Here are the pastors' suggestions for the Pine Bluff Police Department to implement:
- Citizens must have committed a traffic violation, or the officer must have probable cause to stop the vehicle.
a. Officers will be trained to look beyond the violation and build community rapport by issuing more warning tickets.
b. Officers will be trained to engage with citizens to enhance their investigations.
c. Officers will request all licenses, registration, and insurance. Citizens who provide the required documents will be asked for consent to search their vehicle.
d. Officers will receive additional training on the prerequisites for conducting a vehicle search, including an inventory search.
This initiative offers a threefold benefit:
- Citizens will receive more warning tickets, fostering better communication and cooperation with the public.
- Seeking probable cause and asking for consent will lead to more frequent discovery and subsequent removal of weapons.
- The initiative will encourage some citizens to leave their weapons at home, given the increased likelihood of being stopped by an officer.