On June 11, students, survivors and activists fed up with fearing for their (and their families’) lives descended on Downtown Raleigh, DC and cities across the country to March for Our Lives in protest of the onslaught of national gun violence. 2022 has seen 250+ mass shootings already. In light of the impending election and the barrage of national school shootings and local lockdowns, planned attacks and scares, we asked our three current Wake County sheriff candidates what they plan to do to protect the 160,000 kids in Wake County’s school system.
Question: If elected, what are you planning to do to help protect the 160,000 kids in Wake County’s school system? What is your plan on keeping our students safe?
“Under my administration, we have enhanced our School Resource Officer Training. We currently have a School Resource Officer (SRO) in every middle school in Wake County. However, a majority of Wake County elementary schools are without an armed officer, and I believe it is time for there to be a SRO in every school in Wake County. I have said that for several years, and I will continue to work with the public school system, as well as local municipalities, toward achieving that goal. I will ensure this agency and its members are prepared to protect and serve the 160,000 children in Wake County.
As sheriff, I have implemented an operative Community Relations and Crime Prevention Division that is now active throughout the entire county with bold, new leadership aimed at deterring our young people away from lives of trouble and crime. These units offer and sponsor various programs that help foster these relationships that did not exist prior to 2018. I reestablished the D.A.R.E. program back to many elementary schools in Wake County. D.A.R.E envisions a world in which students everywhere are empowered to respect others and choose to lead lives free from violence, substance use and other dangerous behaviors.
Being more present in schools at different capacities while reaching these children at a young age, before they are at risk, is another way I will continue to keep children safe within Wake County.”
“The protection and safety of our children, especially while they are in school, should not involve a political stance, but is rather a very real concern and priority for me and every enforcement agency in Wake County. As the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, demonstrated, preparation and coordination are vital, and the lack thereof can be catastrophic. If I am elected to serve as sheriff in November, I will work diligently with our Board of Education and County Commissioners to make sure the School Resource Officers (SROs) provided by the sheriff’s office are fully coordinated in safety procedures and protocols relating to school violence.
In addition, I will advocate for the best possible training available to assure our SROs are fully prepared to handle any type of emergency situation that may arise in our public schools. I will develop a comprehensive screening process to determine the very best candidates for the position of SRO. I will not just depend on internal training, but also explore the best SRO training nationwide.
I have long advocated for a special police department exclusively for the Wake County Public School system and will continue to do so. This would allow those officers to be totally engaged and specifically trained in public safety measures and protection for our schools. Many school systems all across our country—and some within our own state—have developed such departments, and they have proven to be successful.
All the schools in Wake County fall within 13 different police jurisdictions. As we saw in the heartbreaking Uvalde situation, when multiple agencies respond, there can be breakdowns in the chain of command resulting in tragic consequences. If a school police force was established, there would be no question as to who is in charge when other agencies respond to assist, not to mention the very specialized training such a police department would receive. I sincerely believe this idea is a good policy, and I will continue to advance it if I am elected sheriff.”
Willie Rowe (D) Retired Major from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office
“I have a passion for public safety because I believe people live life to the fullest when they feel safe. Reducing crime and enhancing public safety is a primary duty of the sheriff’s office. To address violent crimes, additional resources must be committed to prevent and deter crime through increased officers’ presence and community engagement. In addition to patrolling, officers will interact directly with the community as partners to educate, build positive relationships and create opportunities for successful outcomes.
To build safer communities, schools, businesses and workplaces, we must increase funding and staffing in order to physically position officers in place to maintain controlled access—patrolling parking lots and live monitoring security cameras to ensure any potential threat is readily identified, intercepted and eradicated before escalating to an act of violence.
Also: continuous and relevant ongoing training for officers and the general public; information sharing among public safety officials and all agencies regarding individuals who may pose a threat; and coordination with mental health providers for timely crisis intervention to ensure needed resources are available and deployed are paramount to prevention, de-escalation and containment to prevent further harm.
If elected sheriff, I am committed to partnering with all stakeholders to develop sound and innovative approaches to reduce crime; improve overall quality of life; and make Wake County the safest place to live, work, play and visit.”
Editor’s note: All sheriff responses are printed in their entirety. The runoff race is July 26, the winner of which will face Harrison in the general election Nov. 8.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Dubbed an “invisible” illness, mental illness can oft take a backseat to or be overlooked by—not quantifiable or observable like its physical counterpart (think broken leg, cancer, etc.). But the two are no different—and that parity could help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
Each year, millions grapple with mental health—right now, nationally, 1 in 5 people are living with some form of a mental illness. Shining a much needed spotlight, May is Mental Health Awareness Month (#MHAM), working this year to amplify the message that “you are not alone” by focusing on the healing capacity of community and connection.
Leaning into that messaging, we’ve rounded up some resources and orgs that can meet you where you are (in person, telehealth, app, etc.), with the aim of helping healthy minds thrive and/or connecting the community. And, remember, “mental health is not a destination, but a process.” If you need additional help or support, don’t hesitate to reach out to loved ones or seek a trusted professional.
We can’t talk about fighting the stigma around mental health without mentioning Current Wellness. This new DTR biz is all about reducing the shame surrounding mental health and normalizing help-seeking behaviors. Whether it’s through movement classes or numerous services (think chiropractic treatments, mental health counseling, wellness coaching or massage therapy), the wellness center’s goal is to make you feel like the best version of yourself. 3 classes for $20 (current special); membership options available
Founded in 1958, Monarch is a Raleigh-based not-for-profit organization that supports and empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), mental illness and substance-use disorders in achieving their goals. With services ranging from telehealth services to residential options, there’s a treatment plan for everyone. Despite the challenges that may come with mental illness, the organization is here to help you thrive in 2021 and beyond.
Bring a little balance and peace into your life with the Healthy Minds Innovations App. The app was designed on four pillars: awareness, connection, insight and purpose. Its goal is to help calm your anxieties around everyday or professional stresses, likely at an all-time high for many over the past year especially. The app has a variety of sessions that fit in with any lifestyle, including traditional sitting meditations and active on-the-go meditations that last anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Additionally, in honor of World Meditations Day on May 21, Healthy Minds Innovation will be hosting a live meditation via YouTube at 10am EST. And, exhale.
WEB EXCLUSIVE For 31 years, the Foundation of Hope has been hosting Walk for Hope, one of the nonprofit’s biggests annual fundraisers, in an effort to raise money towards better understanding mental illness and promoting scientific research aimed at discovering the causes and potential cures for the likes of depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia and anorexia. The foundation, which was founded in 1984 by Thad and Alice Eure of the Angus Barn, held their first Walk for Hope in 1989 after their son Thad Eure, Jr., who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, unfortunately passed away. Almost 200 people participated, raising about $20,000.
This year, due to COVID, the 32nd annual Thad and Alice Eure Walk for Hope will take place as a drive-thru at the Angus Barn on Sunday, October 11, or as a virtual walk for those who don’t feel comfortable participating in the event in person. “While we can’t walk all together in person, we’re so excited to capture the heart and soul of our flagship event,” read a post on Walk for Hope’s Instagram page. “It’s more important than ever to support mental illness research right here in our own community.”
The family-friendly drive-thru event will include live music from local musicians, swag like t-shirts and armbands, boxed lunch to-go from Angus Barn and the chance to win fun prizes, all while staying safely in your car. Take pictures or videos at the event and tag Walk for Hope on social media using the hashtag #WalkforHope to be entered in the prize drawings. To minimize traffic issues on the day of the drive-thru, the foundation is staggering car arrival times by last name. Check your time slot online here.
The Walk for Hope virtual walk/run will also take place on October 11, but participants can choose what time they’ll walk, where and how far they’ll go; they’ll also get a t-shirt and an armband for registering. If you can’t participate in either the drive-thru or virtual walk, you can make a donation online at event.racereach.com/walk-for-hope/donate.
100 percent of the money raised by participants in Foundation of Hope’s annual Walk for Hope directly funds local mental illness research at the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Psychiatry. Since the nonprofit was founded, they’ve awarded 157 scientific research grants totaling more than $6.6 million and given more than $570,000 to 42 mental health initiatives in North Carolina.
For those of you quarantining by yourself, you may be starting to get lonely. Even those of us with roommates, significant others or staying with family can tend to feel isolated or gloomy spending so much time at home. While it’s certainly not the happiest of times right now, we all have to try to focus on the positives of our situations and to make the most out of them. For Happiness Happens Month, we asked local life coaches for simple ways to find happiness during the coronavirus pandemic.
Brittney Asch: Asch Counseling and Development
Host virtual game nights. There are lots of ways to use technology to spend quality time with loved ones. The “Houseparty” app has a way to chat with friends and family face to face while playing built-in games. Other games you can play with friends include Code Names and Skibblio. My recommendation is to use one device to play on and one device to video chat.
Find ways to make meaning out of this time and give back. Write letters to residents at a local nursing home who can’t see their loved ones. Convert a neighborhood “little library” into a food pantry. Put encouraging artwork or messages on your windows for neighbors walking by to enjoy.
Learn a new skill. Try out a new recipe, make homemade pasta, learn to cross-stitch…
Create a nature scavenger hunt and go for a walk in your neighborhood.
Lamont Taylor: Changing the Game Life Coach
Have nostalgia family night. Watch an old school movie, play a game like Charades, Name That Tune or War, or have a dance competition. Zoom with family and friends to get them involved.
Laura Reichert: Triangle Life Coaching
Make a vision board and consider inviting friends or family members for a virtual vision board party. A vision board shows what you’re seeking in life and prompts you to consider what you want.
Before starting your board, ask yourself what your goals are and what you want your life to be like. Decide what areas of life you wish to address, such as relationships, family, sports, health, school or your career.
Gather supplies, including a large poster board, crayons or markers, magazines with plenty of headlines, pictures, scissors and glue. Browse through the magazines and your own collection of photos for images that reflect your goals and dreams. Choose words that are centered around the things you desire, the place(s) you want to live, or anything else representative of your thoughts and emotions. If you can’t find the right words, write your own with markers.
Arrange and rearrange the pictures on the poster board until you love how it looks, then affix your collage with glue. Display your vision board in your den, bedroom or somewhere you’ll see it every day so you can get excited about the prospect of achieving your goals.
When most of us think of fitness, we focus on the body. But the wellness of our minds and the strength of our relationships to our communities play a big role in our overall health. Nathan Williams and Brit Guerin will integrate all three components in Current Wellness, a center for physical and mental health in southeast Raleigh that’s set to open early next year.
“There is a lot of fitness that is concentrated on your body and there is a lot of pressure put on people to be fit,” Guerin says. “It’s also important to treat ourselves well mentally as well as physically.”
Current Wellness will offer a movement studio, a teaching kitchen for food education and a co-working space for counselors as well as other wellness practitioners.
“We’re calling it a movement studio intentionally,” Guerin says. “We don’t want to be like some of the things that mainstream fitness promotes. We won’t apply pressure to body image and body size. We’re not going to have mirrors. It’s about healing and being supportive to our bodies. It’s more similar to a yoga studio, but we’ll also offer functional fitness.”
Williams co-owns the company with his wife Brit, who has a background in fitness and mental health counseling. Together, they hope to establish a place for the community to come together and simply feel good.
“We live in southeast Raleigh and we really love the community, from newcomers to people who have lived in southeast Raleigh their whole lives,” Williams says. “We’re trying to make a business that’s inclusive for all of those people in that part of town, which is underserved for wellness services. Wellness is something that everybody needs and creates a connection between newcomers.”
Uplifting with Upfit
Brit and Nathan were able to bring their business to southeast Raleigh with the help of the city’s Building Upfit Grant, created to help small businesses and commercial property owners with improvements, renovations or additions to the interior of their commercial property. The program’s goal is to support a thriving and equitable economy through a strong small business ecosystem and investment in economic development priority areas.
Rafael Baptista, a strategic planning analyst for the city of Raleigh, says the grant is an important part of the city’s strategy for achieving long term, equitable economic development.
“Some of the desired outcomes of the grant include activating vacant properties in Raleigh, helping small businesses grow and expand and fostering small business investment in our economic development areas,” Baptista says. “The city is constantly assessing its small business support program to ensure that we are providing the appropriate incentives to small businesses.”
To date, 49 Raleigh businesses have received the Building Upfit Grant since its inception in 2016, representing a diverse set of industries and areas in the city.
Growing Community
For Williams and Guerin, they aren’t just opening a business—they’re joining a community.
“This is a vibrant community with really rich cultural history that has, at times, been overlooked,” Williams says. “Until recently, people haven’t treated southeast Raleigh as a destination. There have been people living here for years that know how great it is.”
While the brick and mortar component to Current Wellness isn’t yet complete, Brit and Nathan are already active nearby with pop-ups at Transfer Co. Food Hall, Dorothea Dix Park and Moore Square. They’ve held everything from a yoga and strength training class to demonstrations on how to cook healthy, local seafood from the Carolina coast.
“We want to engage with the community and collaborate with our neighbors,” Williams says. “We want to let people know what we’re about. From a bird’s eye view, people might not understand what we are, but we feel like we’re very different. As part of growth in an area that’s being gentrified, we’re being very conscious and we don’t want to be another business that pushes people out.”
