A string of violent crimes committed by juveniles in Dallas has a local community activist concerned.
Antong Lucky, president of the Dallas-based nonprofit Urban Specialists, has been working with other concerned residents to try to reduce violent crime in hotspot neighborhoods and encourage dialogue between communities of color and local law enforcement.
As of July 28, there have been 151 murders committed within Dallas city limits, marking an increase of nearly 10% year over year, according to a report by the Dallas Police Department (DPD).
The department is currently enduring a severe staffing shortage. DPD only has around 3,100 officers on staff — far fewer than the 4,000 recommended by a City analysis.
“Whenever you see an uptick in violence, it’s young people who are not connected to resources. They’re not connected to organizations, not connected to mentors who can help them,” said Lucky, speaking with NBC 5 DFW.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the overwhelming majority of murder victims in Dallas during the first four months of 2023 were people of color. More up-to-date data from the City of Dallas could not immediately be verified.
“Anytime I wake up in the morning and see on the news where some person has been tragically murdered it’s a blow,” Lucky told NBC 5. “But if you look around, you can see the success stories from these same young people. It’s just a battle of the wills.”
Lucky’s organization, Urban Specialists, has been trying to reach both youths and adults on the street who are at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity. The group maintains an office across the street from DPD Headquarters near Downtown.
Crime has been prevalent in the neighborhood, which routinely logs significantly more reports of crime than Fort Worth’s downtown area. Fort Worth has a special police unit and private security guards protecting residents and visitors around Sundance Square.
“For me, it’s a clarion call to organizations and people to get involved with our youth,” Lucky said to NBC 5.
According to the group’s website, Urban Specialists wants to reduce crime by “positively impact[ing] urban communities.” It aims to “recruit, train, and deploy changemakers from various backgrounds, and across a variety of pathways to be forces for good in their communities.”