Wilmington city council calls special public safety meeting

Wilmington city council member at-large, Loretta Walsh, has called a special public safety meeting tonight, after what’s been a deadly June in the city of Wilmington.

So far Wilmington Police have investigated 13 homicides this year. This month alone, the city has experienced four murders, three of which occurred in a 24-hour period.

Walsh says, until now, she’s only heard from state, county and city elected officials, but not from the people who live in the affected neighborhoods day after day.

“I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for residents to come in and tell us their stories about what is going on in their neighborhood,” said Walsh.

Walsh hopes Monday night’s meeting will not only provide a forum for residents to comment on the city’s recent crime wave and discuss possible solutions, but also to realize they’re not alone in this fight. 

“The problem is centralized in certain areas of our city, so it’s not throughout our city,” Walsh said. “I just think it will just be a good opportunity for people to get together and realize how many people are willing to fight to keep our city safe.” 

Monday’s public safety committee meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the first floor council chambers of the the Louis L. Redding City/County building on French Street in Wilmington. The meeting is open to the public and anyone can speak.