Seventeen-year-old Tyrone McMillan witnessed his stepfather abuse his mother "on several occasions" when he was just 9 years old.
"I remember one time, I walked in and my mom was lying on the floor thrown through a coffee table," McMillan recalled. "I was pretty traumatized."
McMillan, who says he grew up around drugs and guns, says he recalls many times running to his room to hide. But when he was 11, he thought he found love when he joined a gang.
"I just wanted to be in a crowd of people and feel like I was somebody," McMillan said.
McMillan's story isn't unique, however; in fact it's a story that is all too common on the streets of Durham.
Durham Gang Reduction Steering Committee
In Durham alone, violent crimes were up 3 percent in 2011, but Mayor Bill Bell and Police Chief Jose Lopez say it will take more than law enforcement to fix the problem.
One way the city, county and school districts hope to combat the trend is with the help of faith.
Jim Stuit, Durham's gang reduction strategy manager for the Durham Gang Reduction Steering Committee, says his group is coming up with a new plan, and they are looking for help from above.
"We really feel that the faith community is an asset we have not tapped into yet," Stuit explained.
The Durham Gang Reduction Steering Committee hopes that getting the youth involved in churches will provide a support that they may not find at home.
Demetrius Smith says he chose the church over a gang because that's where he felt he fit in best.
"Most of them have qualities that would fit in good in church," Smith explained of youth who claim they don't fit in at church. "Some of them like to sing like I do, some of them like to dance -- you can do praise and worship, there is a lot more out there in life than being in a gang."
A Community Effort
But Shamika Garrett says she felt "judged" when she attended church while growing up.
"I was brought up in the church, but I just stopped going because it was a lot of judgment," she said.
Stuit agrees that some churches can be judgmental, but they can also "learn from this exercise to be less judgmental and be more attractive to those youth."
"Then we have achieved what [the Durham Gang Reduction Steering Committee] started out to do," he said.
Stuit says church is not the only solution for Durham"s gang problems; rather it is a community effort.
"We also want schools involved," Stuit said. "We want neighborhood groups involved, non-profits involved -- the last people we want involved is law enforcement."
The community will have a chance to listen to youth affected by violence and gangs, and hear solutions on how to help prevent other teens from choosing gangs at a faith summit Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. in the Holton Center.
The Holton Center is located at 401 N. Driver Street in Durham.
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