NORTHEAST CHARLOTTE CRIME: Community members join police, city leaders to fight crime in northeast Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Businessman James Phillips works at the 7-Eleven on Reagan Drive, and he said he has seen it all.

"Drug abuse, prostitution,” Phillips said. “Stabbings, shootings, ODs.”

On Friday, Phillips joined the Reagan Drive Initiative, a group made up of business owners, city leaders, police and community groups.

They all have the same goal, which is to empower the community to make their neighborhood a better place to live and work.

“You got to put boots on the ground. You don’t put them on the ground, nothing is going to change,” Phillips said.

Earlier this week, Therrisha Steward was shot and left to die on the side of the road at Tom Hunter and Reagan Drive.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has been working to address violent crime in the area.

There were two people killed in this area so far this year compared to none the same time last year.

Greg Jackson with Heal Charlotte launched the Reagan Drive Initiative at the start of the year.

On Friday, he laid out the group's objectives, which touches on a number of solutions they can start working on.

“We’re going to be doing a lot of crime safety programming, beautification program, youth programs, business etiquette programming. We’re going to do a lot of stuff around human trafficking,” Jackson said.

Business etiquette is a big one. CMPD said only about half of the motels in the area are following their recommendations.

“This is a different approach. Before it was CMPD coming in, doing most of the work,” officer Jason Ellis said.

Jackson said the next step is action. They plan to partner with CMPD’s community empowerment initiative, hold awareness workshops for residents surrounding human trafficking and seek funding.

The group will hold its first event, a prayer walk, on March 16.

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