Lexington group creates action plan after multiple shootings near Tates Creek schools
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- ONE Lexington launched Safe Passage For Centre Parkway, active through Dec 1.
- Volunteers and partners occupy hotspots, escort students home and staff Gainesway Park.
- ONE Lexington will survey residents to shape a longer-term safety strategy and incentives.
A Lexington group that engages the community to prevent gun violence among children and young adults unveiled a plan Monday to address a pair of recent shootings near the same Fayette County Public Schools campus.
The plan, published by the city-run ONE Lexington, includes boosting support and services for nearby neighborhoods, conducting a resident survey and escorting children who walk home from school.
ONE Lexington Director Devine Carama described the plan as a temporary measure to help put the community at ease amid the recent violence.
“There will be a time to build a broader strategy to not only increase the quality of life, but to make sure the community is safe,” Carama said in a Facebook livestream while out in the community Monday morning. “But right now, I think it’s up to us to act, to respond.”
The plan comes after a pair of shootings put Tates Creek schools’ campus on heightened alert last week. Tuesday, an 18-year-old was shot at Gainesway Park as Tates Creek Middle School was dismissing for the day, and Friday afternoon, a man was shot and killed in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex in the 1100 block of Centre Parkway.
A Lexington police lieutenant said the two shootings weren’t connected, and none of the shootings involved students.
In addition, last month, two people were shot in separate incidents within a four-day span. One happened on Ascot Park, and sent a 19-year-old man to a hospital with serious injuries, and the other on Sutherland Drive, sending a 55-year-old man to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The homicide prompted Tates Creek school campuses to go on heightened alert. A 36-year-old man was later arrested and charged with murder.
The Ascot Park shooting remains unsolved, while police have charged Teonte White, 26, with assault and burglary in connection with the Sutherland Drive shooting.
Carama said the recent shootings are not the only incidents in the neighborhood, as there have also been fights and substance abuse issues creating conflict over the last few months.
Safe Passage For Centre Parkway Action Plan
A key part of the ONE Lexington effort, called the Safe Passage for Centre Parkway Action plan, is asking community partners and volunteers to wear orange and spread out around the neighborhood to ensure children are safe to walk home.
“We are going to make sure these kids get home safe,” Carama said. “No kid should be coming out of dismissal and have to deal with anxiety and wondering whether they’re going to make it from school to home safe. That’s unacceptable.”
The plan went into effect Monday, and it will last until Dec. 1.
ONE Lexington staff will also be present at Gainesway Park every morning to greet children as they go to school and break up any potential conflicts. Most mornings, high school students gather at the park before school, and there have been some behavioral concerns.
Carama believes having a presence in the park before school could help prevent problems.
“It’s either going to give me the opportunity to stop and mentor some of these young people or hopefully it deters the behavior altogether, and they see me, and they double back and go the other way,” Carama said. “This is also where you see a lot of kids get off their bus, get out of mom or dad’s car and they start walking the opposite direction of the schools, meaning they're skipping, and we’re not doing that.”
Afterschool outreach and enhanced in-school mentoring programs will continue while the action plan is in effect. Tates Creek Community Center will also remain open weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. to provide a safe space for children in the neighborhood.
Residents in the Centre Parkway area are encouraged to step out onto their porch or front door at 7:30 p.m. every night in November to show support.
“We believe this unified step-out not only shows neighborhood solidarity, but also a strong community presence that may deter negative activity in the neighborhood,” ONE Lexington said in a Facebook post.
Thursday, ONE Lexington staff will conduct a neighborhood engagement walk and distribute surveys to residents to gather feedback on basic needs and how to address violence. Information from the survey will be used to build to develop a longer-term strategic plan for the community.
Each resident who completes a survey will automatically be entered into a drawing for a $250 Kroger gift card.
“In order to heal this community, we’ve got to hear from the community,” Carama said.
