Community Leaders Address Violence in Longview

LONGVIEW — Community leaders in Longview are tackling what they call an increase in violence in the city. Since the turn of the new year, there have been six gun-related deaths, multiple gun-related injuries, and drive-by shootings. According to KETK, leaders and locals are calling for more communication and unity in a city they say is divided.

Longview NAACP chapter president Branden Johnson says spikes in violence happen when a particular group doesn’t have a chance to voice its frustration. That’s one thing he’s working to change. Johnson says, “We want to see a crime decrease. We want to offer them education programs and opportunities to voice their concerns, voice their frustrations. We’ll in turn put that information together, deliver it to the right key officials — and in turn, hopefully, they will begin to create programs that will help us out as a city at large.”

The city is planning some upcoming projects, targeted at the younger crowd in Longview. Those include an anti-bullying seminar and an introduction to criminal justice workshop.