WACO, Texas — With 11 homicides in Waco in 2022 so far, the Parents Against Crime Coalition (PACC) held a forum to discuss problems in the community and offer solutions to help defer teens and young adults from committing crime.
Bettie Beard is the founder of the organization and said Thursday night's event held at 701 Jefferson Ave. was imperative in opening the lines of communication between parents, law enforcement and other community members.
"Everyone has to care enough about the community to help make it safe," Beard said. "And that's where you get your healthy communities from."
She said that is what PACC is working toward. A representative from Waco Police said statistics are showing a rise in deadly crime in people ages 15 to 20 since the year 2012.
In addition, the group of panelists spoke about their perspectives on what could potentially work to enact meaningful change. Destiny Hallman, a parent of a 13-year-old, said parents going back to teaching their children the basic principles of morals and values when communicating with them, law enforcement and educators are important.
"It may not be what's the most fun thing or the most popular thing, but we need to try to make it cool to do what's right," Hallman said.
Others who participated in the event represented Waco Police and the McLennan County Sheriff's Office, as well as the local church community.
McLennan County Commissioner Pat Miller facilitated the discussion on a various array of topics like responsible gun ownership, education, youth crime detention, intervention strategies for youth, crime in school, statistics and community policing.
"We want to teach parents to become proactive," Beard said. "We want our parents to understand that they matter, and the values they instill in their children matter."
The non-profit organization said they will hold future forums to continue the conversation. Beard said PACC. is also working on starting a reading program to help children learn and absorb necessary information that will help them navigate through life and become productive society members.