And these individuals, they're a part of this community whether the government in Wilmington likes it or not,” he said. If we don't see it going on, if we don't hear about it, then it must not be happening. “A lot of the times what I've noticed is its perception. He also says the officials in Wilmington have little interaction with the homeless community. “If they're felons, or if they've been robbed, or they don't have their information, you know, there's all these steps that have to be taken before you can even get to point A,” he said. He said educating the homeless on the requirements for a lot of resources would make it easier for them to gain access. “What ends up happening is individuals who come to this town, they're trying to navigate the resources and they're so scattered, they're not easily accessible,” he said. Lately, he's noticed more people having difficulty finding their way. Struggling for servicesįor the last six years, he’s noticed that a lot of homeless people come to Wilmington to receive services. I don't know what mental illnesses these individuals are dealing with, I don't know what kind of trauma that these individuals are dealing with, I walk into every situation with an attitude that you have value, that you have agency, that you have the right to make your own choices,” he said. He always goes into each situation with an open mind. Evans said he doesn’t treat the homeless any differently because of their economic status. He enjoys listening to people's stories - although many of those are from homeless people who feel unwanted and unseen in Wilmington. “We added four meals a week, during COVID, for that reason, because a lot of people had backed out and slowed down their services,” he said.Įvans says the work he does not just for the homeless but anyone living in poverty is deep and meaningful to him. He said he didn’t want to forget about the homeless who were suffering before the pandemic. “ picked up a lot more resources where we a washer and dryer trailer, we a shower trailer, we a clothes closet we do several meals,” he said.ĭuring the COVID-19 pandemic, Evans doubled the work he did for the homeless because of the shutdown. “We did meals, clothes, we would transport individuals to the hospital rehabilitation centers, we would help them get their IDs, medications, eyeglasses,” he said.Įvans didn’t stop there - in 2018 he started the Feast Gathering Church which allowed him to do a lot more. Evans not only provided the homeless with meals, he also made sure they had daily essentials. And it was essentially totally mobile, I did everything out of my house,” he said. Because if you do, and I literally said this, they're going to go in front of the library and congregate,” he said.Įvans eventually founded Walking Tall Wilmington, essentially a mobile service he ran out of his house. I told several other people that you cannot shut this gazebo down - unless you have a plan - unless you have a way of addressing this need. He started off working in a day center at a church, which eventually led him on his own path. Reverend Randy Evans has been working full time with the homeless since 2015, and knows the situation better than many people. Some of the statements made by some of the officers in the initial recordings included saying a magistrate judge needed a ‘bullet in her head right then and move on,’ and advocating for a ‘civil war to wipe ‘em off the map.’Īccording to court documents, the second recording on May 31, 2020, “Petitioner’s reference to WPD Sergeant (now Lieutenant) as a ‘thing,’ and Petitioner’s response and apparent agreement with Piner’s statement that ‘She’s dumb as a box of rocks.Getting to know Wilmington's homeless populationīefore the homeless moved to the county library, the gazebo on WaterStreet was the place to congregate and receive food. The videos came to light in June 2020, when tensions between police and the public reached a boiling point following the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis by a white police officer. Now, additional details, including the revelation of a second recording not previously disclosed, have been made public after one of the officers challenged his firing. (WECT) - Nearly two years have passed since three Wilmington Police officers were captured by a malfunctioning dashboard camera making racist and offensive comments that ultimately led to their termination.
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