Friday, August 25, 2023–11:30 p.m.
Adam Carey, Rome News-Tribune-
This story is possible because of a news-sharing agreement with the Rome News-Tribune. More information can be found at northwestgeorgianews.com.
As Rome and Floyd County grapple with a surge in gun violence, community leaders search for a solution to stem the tide and improve the future for many local youth.
Rome experienced eight shooting deaths in the first six months of 2023, compared to six during all of 2022, which is a significant uptick. However, there were no reported killings in July or August to-date.
There have also been 42 calls of shots-fired in Rome, including 10 in July and August to-date.
However, according to Rome City Commissioner Elaina Beeman, the best way to cut down on violence in Rome is to provide a proper educational and home environment so that real violence becomes a rarity.
“A child that is well-loved and cared for is much less likely to use violence,” Beeman said. “And if they have a future, they are less likely to throw it away for nothing.”
Beeman spoke about the challenges of her job at the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority where she works as a Navigator of Project SOAR, a program which helps low income children in grades 9 through 12.
“Many of our kids come from non-traditional homes, where they may live with foster parents or with a grandparent or even cousins,” Beeman said. “So it’s easy for these kids to fall between the cracks, and they lose hope or fall into depression.”
These lost kids are more likely to try and find another family, and can easily fall into the world of crime, gangs and violence.
Beeman spoke of some young women she works with who were in high school, and some of the experiences that they had.
“When a kid is in a non-traditional home, there’s a sense of embarrassment when the school has mother and father events,” one of the young women said. “So maybe we can make it clearer that a student can bring anyone to this event.”
Beeman also spoke of the pressure when young people have children, and how being a parent to a child is made infinitely more difficult when the young mother has no one to learn from.
“I lost my own mother near when my first child was born,” Beeman said. “My child became a church baby, because everyone helped me raise him, especially my sisters.”
How is a mother supposed to properly raise a child, Beeman asked, when the mother is practically a child herself? The same thing applies to the child’s father, who typically needs to begin work, often at the expense of school, to provide for his child.
“These types of situations rarely end well for the child or the parents,” Beeman said. “But with the proper support we can have a much better outcome for everybody in the community.”
Beeman stated it’s important for good kids to have support so they become good adults.
“But if a 7-year-old is raised without hope, it’s almost a sure thing that that 17-year old will be on the same path,” Beeman said.