The aftermath of gun violence extends far beyond physical injuries. For innocent victims, the psychological and emotional impact can be just as debilitating, often leaving lasting scars that require significant support to heal. This initiative aims to address the gaps in assistance that prevent victims from moving past the trauma and rebuilding their lives.

The Mental and Emotional Aftermath of Violent Crime:

1. Psychological Trauma:

   • Victims of violent crimes often develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which includes symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety.
   • They may experience hypervigilance (constant feelings of danger), making it difficult to feel safe even in their own homes.
   • Depression and isolation are common, as victims may feel helpless, overwhelmed, or ashamed.

2. Fear and Loss of Security:

   • Innocent victims often associate their homes with the crime, creating a lingering sense of fear and unease.
   • The inability to relocate or repair damages serves as a constant reminder of the violent event, delaying recovery and exacerbating feelings of insecurity.

3. Impact on Relationships and Daily Life:

   • Victims may struggle to trust others, which can strain relationships with family and friends.
   • Workplace productivity often suffers as victims deal with anxiety, depression, and the inability to focus.
   • Children in households affected by violent crimes are particularly vulnerable, often exhibiting symptoms of trauma, including behavioral problems and difficulty in school.

The Consequences of Insufficient Resources:

1. Trapped in Traumatizing Environments:

   • Without the financial ability to relocate, victims are often forced to remain in the same homes or neighborhoods where the crime occurred, continually reliving the trauma.
   • High-crime areas can increase the likelihood of repeat victimization, further compounding the stress and fear.

2. Dehumanizing Conditions:

   • Crime scenes often leave behind visible damage, such as broken windows, bullet holes, and bloodstains.
   • For victims unable to afford professional crime scene clean-up or property repairs, these reminders can feel dehumanizing and prevent emotional recovery.

3. Financial Strain:

   • Many victims of violent crimes face unexpected financial burdens, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and the cost of relocating or repairing property.
   • Those who cannot access loans or other financial assistance are often forced to make difficult trade-offs, prioritizing immediate survival over long-term recovery.

4. Community Impact:

   • When victims are unable to heal, entire communities suffer. Neighborhoods with high crime rates can develop reputations that discourage investment and perpetuate cycles of poverty and violence.

How This Initiative Will Help:

This program is designed to break these cycles by providing victims with the financial and emotional support they need to rebuild their lives. Specifically:

• Relocation Support: Victims who no longer feel safe in their homes will be given financial assistance to move to safer environments, helping them restore a sense of security and normalcy.
• Crime Scene Clean-Up and Repairs: Loans will cover professional clean-up services and repairs, ensuring that victims do not have to live with constant reminders of their trauma.
• Access to Additional Resources: Victims will also receive assistance in applying for grants, counseling services, and other resources to address both their immediate and long-term needs.

Why Immediate Action Is Needed:

The lack of federal funding for such initiatives means that local communities must step up to support their own. With violent crime rates in Columbia and Richland County significantly higher than the national average, the need for a localized program has never been more urgent.

According to the Columbia Police Department, the area has recorded nearly 500 person-hit shootings since 2015, with many victims being innocent bystanders. Additionally, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department has highlighted the disproportionate impact on minority communities, with Black men accounting for 85% of victims.

These statistics underscore the urgent need for a community-driven solution to support those most affected by gun violence. This initiative will provide victims with the tools they need to recover and move forward, creating a safer and more supportive environment for all residents.

By taking immediate action to fund this program, we can help victims begin the healing process, reduce the long-term effects of trauma, and foster a stronger, more resilient community.

DONATE TODAY! YOUR GIFT CAN MEAN A FRESH START FOR SOMEONE IN NEED!

FBI News Article - Washington, DC 2023

(Washington) — FBI Director Christopher Wray presented Building Better Communities (BBC) with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for its service to the people of South Carolina in a special ceremony today. Building Better Communities was recognized for demonstrating outstanding contributions to the community by focusing on combating community violence, low health status, low education, and economic disparity within underserved communities.

The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence. The FBI’s 56 field offices select the recipients annually for this honor.

During today’s ceremony, Director Christopher Wray told the recipients: “Like the 38,000 employees of the FBI, you don’t do what you do for fame—and certainly not for fortune. You do it out of kindness, out of compassion for others, out of a hope and a dream for safer communities....to leave your towns and cities better places than when you got there. And that’s how I’ve defined success here within our organization, too. Success to me is if everyone leaves the FBI a better place than they found it.”

BBC members volunteer thousands of service hours annually in disadvantaged communities collaborating with local law enforcement agencies to build safer communities and local officials and businesses to improve education that leads to income growth, better healthcare, increased voter participation, and enhanced reentry resources for those who made mistakes and desire to clear their past and successfully reenter society.

“I am honored to be receiving this award from an organization that I admire deeply,” said Perry Bradley, Jr., Executive Director of BBC. “BBC has fought to better our communities for over 13 years by organizing events such as the Caravan For Love, bringing awareness to South Carolina that we need Hate Crime Legislation; the BBC March For Our Lives, which brought over 5,000 students from across South Carolina to talk about responsible gun laws; and so many local events that bring much needed resources to our communities through partnerships with local law enforcement, elected officials and community leaders across South Carolina.”

Director Wray hosted the 2022 DCLA winners at FBI Headquarters today emphasizing the importance of partnerships in keeping our shared communities safe. These partnerships—as exemplified by the breadth of the work by the DCLA recipients—have led to a host of crime prevention programs that protect the most vulnerable in our communities, educate families and businesses about cyber threats, and work to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods.

BBC's Community Ambassador Program 2023

   Building Better Communities will be providing a radical twist to our Community Ambassador Program. We have partnered with the Monroe Group to provide the Colony Apartment community with the best resources available for them to prosper in society. We will be offering an array of new programs geared towards residents becoming homeowners. We are even revisiting our partnership with Great Southern Homes to look at potential neighnorhoods for a fresh start right here in Richland County. For more details join the BBC Mailing list. Our monthly newsletters will share all upcoming events and community programs we are implementing for the 2023 year! Allied Air has become a strong partner with BBC and has been providing resources and assistance with programing for several years. 

Days after Christmas, residents living in the Colony Apartments were displaced due to busted water pipes, no heat and a gas leak. Various organizations came together to provide transportation, food and supplies to residents who had to leave their homes and move into over 11 hotels across the city. Here are just a few of the photos from a joint effort that is still ongoing! Teamwork Makes The Dream Work!

Saving our communities will take working together. We must rebuild trust in our communities with law enforcement, politicians, religious leaders and especially with one another! A house divided will never succeed. 

Celebrating 10+ Years Working With Sheriff Lott & RCSD!

A Partnership Born of Trust: Perry Bradley and Sheriff Leon Lott

At a time when public trust in and belief in the legitimacy of law enforcement is the U.S.  is at a 27-year low, a remarkable partnership has flourished between the Sheriff of Richland County SC and a man whose own family member was shot and killed by a state trooper.  Out of that tragedy was born an organization founded by that man, Perry Bradley and Building Better Communities, and the sustained involvement of the law enforcement officer, Sheriff Leon Lott, who personally helped Perry understand why the shooting occurred so that Perry could heal. 

Today, more than 10 years later, the innovative partnership between these two individuals brought together over a tragic death is transforming the lives of thousands of Richland County community members each year.  Through the work of Perry Bradley and the Building Better Communities organization and the dedicated involvement of Sheriff Leon Lott, they are together bridging the gap between African-American communities, low-income communities, poverty-stricken communities, and local law enforcement.  This sustained collaboration has transformed public safety, built public trust and increased confidence in the police.  This has occurred as a result of the creative, transformative, unwavering community engagement programs which occur throughout each year in collaboration with local law enforcement, in particular the Richland County Sheriff’s Department led by Sheriff Lott.  

The mission of Building Better Communities is to bridge the gap between local law enforcement and the community by providing the necessary tools required for community members to be successful.  Led by Perry Bradley, this organization both solves community problems and brings about positive, observable public safety outcomes.  Rooted in community policing, the events which occur throughout the year proactively address public the conditions which can result in public safety issues such as violence and crime.  Of particular focus is the fight against gun violence.   To address this public safety issue, Building Better Communities takes a multifaceted approach.  Currently underway is A Joyous Christmas, which provides the entire community—not just the children—with the resources to help them better their lives throughout the year by providing them with what they need.  And when a family needs the money to buy gifts for their children, money is provided so they can pick them out and give them as gifts from them, making the parents heroes in their children’s eyes.   Teaming up with the Sheriff’s Department, gifts are arranged for both parents and children such as  like toys, school supplies, clothing and gift cards.  And when the gifts need to be collected, the Sheriff’s Department partners with BBC and they both go out into the communities. cord making him eligible to continue his life anddream of entering the military.

The Iron Man Project was created out of an understanding about the issues facing both boys and men of color and their surrounding ecosystem as it relates to Gun Violence, Building Better Communities vision is to EMPOWER our boys and young men of color by helping to eliminate gaps in their opportunities and outcomes.

What makes a hero? Most people will immediately imagine a superhero, unbeatable athlete or noble warrior. Despite their superhuman achievements, they all have something in common with even the meekest people-- a flaw.These flaws give us a chance of becoming heroes ourselves. We are all humans and make mistakes, so their are no chances of a perfect hero. 

The willingness to make  a personal sacrifice for the help others is what makes a hero. Which means the action itself and not the hero, make him or her heroic. For example single mothers who deny themselves vacations, clothes and even food to send their children to college. These mothers are not flawless or perfect but are considered heroic. Every action a hero makes, are made with the wish to help others. This proves that anyone can be heroes if they serve others at a cost to themselves. Not only can heroes have flaws, but they are even better with ones.

Statistic shows that boys and young men of color, regardless of socio-economic background, are disproportionately at risk throughout the journey from their youngest years to college and career. For instance, large disparities remain in reading proficiency, with 86 percent of Black boys and 82 percent of Hispanic boys reading below proficiency levels by the fourth grade – compared to 58 percent of White boys reading below proficiency levels. Additionally, the disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic young men who are unemployed or involved in the criminal justice system alone is a perilous drag on state budgets, and undermines family and community stability. These young men are more than six times as likely to be victims of murder than their White peers and account for almost half of the country’s murder victims each year.

As members of various communities, we cannot ignore the ways in which youth of color, in particular Richland County, SC, are at a disadvantage because of systemic inequities and racial biases. Systemic disadvantages show up early for boys and men of color especially when there are zero tolerance policies in schools and hypervigilant and unbending policing practices that impact our youth unequally. These issues can interrupt or completely stall opportunity for our young people. It is important to note that girls and young women of color also face disadvantages that need to be addressed. For now, BBC’s Iron Man Project focuses on young men.

BBC feels that through strong relationships with mentors, the impact of the challenges our young men face can be minimalized and their strengths and the strengths of their communities, families, and cultures can be drawn on to empower their potential for success. Like schools and other youth-serving institutions, mentoring programs find success through delivering culturally relevant services, developing the strengths of those they serve, and building on the assets of the local community. Identifying, respecting, and building upon the strengths of mentees, as well as their communities and social networks, can go a long way toward supporting mentoring relationships.

Gun Violence is at an all-time high and it needs to be addressed. The idea of the Iron man Project was derived from a bible verse. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17. BBC’s approach on fighting Gun Violence in our communities is to take a strong stance against the things destroy hope and happiness in our communities. It starts with changing the mindset of the youth. Its time the strong men of color in our communities reach out and mentor these at-risk boys and young men before its too late. - Perry Bradley Jr.

    Today the world celebrates the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King. I celebrate his legacy everyday of my life. Building Better Communities is the direct result of how Dr. King influenced my life. He was a visionary, a freedom fighter, a profound orator and fearless leader. These are only a few words that describe the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but has made me the man that I am today.  Listening to Dr Martin Luther King’s speech for first time, was my first time experiencing the feeling of inspiration and purpose! I am reminded to always dream incredible dreams and to always use my voice and influence to stand for something. Seeing one man who was determined to educate his people, save their souls and form a connection with all races and creeds…that  was inspiring to me! He was dedicated to his dream of securing equality for his people and people in general even though the price was being verbally abused, physically assaulted and eventually assassinated! His legacy of love and hope for all is embedded in my soul! Forever I will illuminate his message! He is also a reminder that as long I put the effort with integrity, passion, purpose and genuine love, I can achieve my dream. That is why the very first BBC Community Resource Center has a mural of Dr. King at the front door. Every time I step into my office, it reminds me of the work that must be done in our communities. I hope that every man, woman, child that enters our doors is inspired by his image to accomplish great things. Today I want to encourage all of you to do a day of community service. Today I would love for you to become a member of our organization. 2021 is the year BBC will become the epidemy of what a grassroots community nonprofit organization should be. Our focus for this year is “EMPOWRMENT”. We will empower our communities through our commitment to service. BBC will be hosting various online seminars on life skills training, parenthood, financial literacy, gun violence, community service projects, voting, how to hold elected officials accountable, etc. In the words of Dr. King “What are you doing for others?”  Enjoy serving others today and let us know what you are doing. Send photos or write ups to events@bbconline.org. We will choose some of the best ones and send you a BBC Community Empowerment Prize Packet. Enjoy!

                                            Join BBC TODAY!

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Building Better Communities Meet With National Recording Artist "Nelly"

BBC & RCSD Traffic Stop Safety Session III 2023