4 days ago
Pine Bluff community celebrates 500 days without juvenile homicide
PINE BLUFF, Ark. – City leaders in Pine Bluff are celebrating a downward trend in juvenile crime.
Rakim Khalef took time to reflect on Friday afternoon and said there has been a shift from when he was younger living in Pine Bluff, and now.
'It has made a complete 360 here and hopefully it will continue,' Khalef said.
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Shirley Warrior, Pine Bluff's interim police chief, said there's now a milestone worth celebrating.
'Sunday marked our 500th day without a juvenile homicide,' Warrior said.
The good news was a relief to many in the town. Warrior said the Group Violence Intervention Outreach has made a difference, along with the police department doing their part, keeping offenders off the streets.
'That plays an important role, and it does affect the numbers, but also we're going out there in the community telling them that we're not going to tolerate that behavior anymore,' Warrior says.
She says this all comes after the department started seeing higher gun violence and crimes from people ages 16 to 25.
'I actually lost 14 years of my life to gang violence here in this city,' Khalef said.
Khalef was sentenced to 14 years in jail before 20, and said making good decisions isn't always easy.
'I've seen firsthand what the influence of the streets can do to a person if they don't have the right guidance,' Khalef said.
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After facing his own challenges, he is happy to see things taking a turn for the better amongst juveniles and will be one of many pushing them in a positive direction.
'It makes me feel real good to give back because, in a crazy way, I feel like I was given to the madness and now I'm helping take the madness away,' Khalef said.
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