Another loss: We lose too many young men to violence. What's the solution?

A young man whose life was lost before it even really began.

That is the tragic result of a shooting at a city housing project Saturday evening.

And now, police are looking for clues as to why and under what circumstances he died -- and for suspects in the gunfire that likely took his life.

And we are left wondering, again, what it is going to take to keep people safe in the city of Goldsboro.

Rest assured, this is not the only place where gunfire claims innocent and not-so-innocent lives. There has been a rash of just this sort of crime in housing projects around the country. In fact, it has been commonplace for decades.

And while the death of a 21-year-old is tragic enough, it is scary to think how many children live in that area and who could have been injured or killed in crossfire.

We have to get tougher in our housing projects. If we are going to provide homes for those who need them, they have to be safe -- and there have to be strict rules to stay there. If you allow someone with a criminal record to visit or stay in your house, you are out, no matter what.

But residents of these areas have to help, too. They need to speak up -- before tragedy strikes. They need to let officers know whom to watch and where to look.

That is how you take back a neighborhood.

Published in Editorials on September 19, 2011 10:36 AM