Bristol’s communities are going through mental trauma due to increasing knife crime in the city.
According to BBC, in January 2024, hundreds of people came out in the streets calling to end knife crimes after two teenagers, Max Dixon and Mason Rist, were stabbed due to mistaken identity.
Ten months later, five suspects are now facing imprisonment for the murder of Dixon and Rist.
Leaders in the city noted that finally communities are coming together and standing against the heinous crime but still the change is slow.
The founder of Growing Futures, Desmond Brown, said, “People want change. There are good people here who are trying. When we have serious violence and the murder of children by other children, what we see is wringing of hands and people getting very upset and looking for silver bullets for that moment.”
“What we see after that is the medium- to long-term planning to how we solve these issues suddenly go out the window and there’s a lull, and nothing ever happens. (I am) hard-pressed to see material changes on the ground. I think we’re still stuck in a mire," he further added.
Mr. Brown’s organization helps victims of serious youth violence, including knife crime, and helps communities in need.
Moreover, anti-knife crime campaigner Leanne Reynolds, who founded the Bristol Bleed Campaign, asserted, “We do listen to the young people, but it’s the higher heads and the government that aren’t listening.”
She noted, "Everything takes a long time, and that’s when you’ll potentially lose that child to the street while you’re doing the paperwork. The support is not there when they need it. The systems are too slow.”
Furthermore, during 2023, there were four fatal stabbing cases reported in the city, but this year till now, more than 20 cases have been reported in Bristol, among which six teenagers and adults were killed with knives.
