CHARLOTTE, NC (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) -- Bernel Berry is hoping to encourage young people by being a listening ear if they need to talk.
He’s with the group 1 Love and they just created a hotline number this month for teens to vent instead of committing a crime. Hope is on his mind and sharing it with teens is his purpose. “We have to create that hope,” Berry said. “If we can get one person to call a week, if we can get one person in the right direction there’s a strong possibility that we can save that youth’s life.
He’s on a mission to save lives by letting young people between the ages of 12 and 20 call the hotline number if they need to get something off their chest. “We have resources that we can channel them to,” Berry said. “So basically I am just acting as a bridge when they call I just want to get a little bit of information from them and just point them in the right direction.”
Pointing them in the right direction to avoid a scene like what happened over the weekend off East W. T. Harris Blvd. CMPD said a 16-year-old was shot in the head during a teen birthday party. Three other people were injured. So far this year Charlotte has seen 10 homicides. Of those 10 three people, 18 and under have been involved.
“It just goes to show we have so much work to do in our community we can’t talk about it we’ve got to get out here and be about it,” Berry said. “I walk these streets I go into these community and I talk to the youth and trust and believe some of the things that they tell me I know for a fact that parents don’t know and it’s saddening.”
The hotline is open two days a week for now for four hours. You can find out when it's available on the group's Facebook page.
The number to call or text for help is 704.222.5259. If no one answers the phone a person from the group will return your call. Meantime police have not released any new details about this weekend’s homicide.
It’s still an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 704.334.1600