TEMPLE, Texas — Recent violent crimes in Temple have started to raise concern about what can be done to help the youth in town make better choices, rather than indulging in criminal activity.
Zoe Grant, President of Temple’s NAACP, says the youth in Temple need more intervention programs to occupy their time.
While Grant is seeing the increase of violent crimes, she’s doing her best to do more to help out.
Temple has seen several robberies and carjackings recently — and even aggravated sexual assault.
In the last few weeks, violent crimes like these have been worrying Temple residents.
“There’s no regard to life and what anybody else is going through, so it's pretty tragic to see something like that happen in our community," Grant said.
Temple's NAACP plans to team up with other organizations in the community to step in the lives of those 25 and younger to steer them in the right direction.
Grant is hoping to show the younger community “how to get a job" and "how to go for an interview."
"These are the kinds of things we are lacking in the community, and reaching out to them and finding out what’s going on in their mind is how we can solve those problems with them," Grant said.
Grant started Zoe’s Wings Foundation in 2019 — helping young adults to learn a trade and leading them to make better decisions.
“We have a trade program, where you learn a trade, and we’re taking individuals off the street and teaching them how to hammer and use a tool so that when they leave us, they can go and be able to build a career with that."
In a statement regarding the recent influx in criminal activity, Temple Police said, “Temple Police are continuing to protect, serve, and work with the community to reduce and solve crime. TPD has seen a moderate increase in violent crime this year compared to last year. The largest being robberies, with a total of 9 in 2023, compared to 4 at this time in 2022. TPD will continue to increase its presence in high-crime areas to deter potential criminals from committing crimes. This can be accomplished by deploying more uniformed officers in these areas, as well as using technology such as CCTV cameras to monitor activities in the area. Decreasing any crime requires a multifaceted approach that involves not only law enforcement but also community engagement and addressing the root cause of crime. If community members see any illegal activity taking place, please call Temple Police at 254-298-5500 to report any information or 911 for emergencies.”
