A naval base erected a wall to ward off stray bullets. According to locals, that is not enough
A US Navy base in Mississippi has been forced to erect a wall made up of more than 20 shipping containers to prevent stray bullets from flying into sailors’ homes.
The boxes were lined up along the south side of Seabee Base in Gulfport after gunfire broke out on an apartment complex across the street.
No one was injured in the shooting, but five homes in the Naval Construction Battalion Center were damaged.
In response, guards were posted at William Bell Apartments and the base increased patrols around the perimeter.
But locals have taken the measures, saying they have struggled with gun violence for years and want a solution to the problem.
A before-and-after shows a U.S. Naval base in Mississippi before and after placing shipping containers to guard against stray bullets
No one was injured in the shooting at William Bell Apartments (pictured), but five houses in the Naval Construction Battalion Center were damaged.
The shipping containers were placed along Commission Road in October and were only intended as a ‘temporary solution’.
A spokesman for the naval base said the city has given assurances it is addressing the problem of gun violence, but that the base is now considering building a permanent concrete wall.
“The protection of our base, personnel and families is our top priority,” the spokesman added.
John Whitfield, a pastor and CEO of the workforce development nonprofit Climb CDC, shared NBC news: ‘The optics of this are very bad. The practical side of it, I understand.’
Those living and working in parts of Gulfport, home to 72,000 people, have spoken out about being hit by stray bullets and having to take cover in the gun-ravaged city.
About 10 years ago, two or three homicides per year were reported, but this has skyrocketed to at least 10 homicides per year since 2019.
Two people were injured in a shooting at a birthday party just blocks from the naval base on Thursday.
A 20-year-old man was shot dead in another incident nearby the same day.
JaKamori Lake, a pregnant 16-year-old, was shot dead in Gulfport on April 30, and a 15-year-old was charged in her death.
Days earlier, Gulfport police had arrested a seventh suspect in connection with a 2021 New Year’s Eve shooting that left four people dead.
Louis Gholar is president of the West Gulfport Civic Club and hosted an upcoming community meeting on ways to address the growing violence.
“It might not be as bad as Jackson, it might not be as bad as Memphis, Tennessee, but we have that problem,” he said.
“I don’t think just Gulfport — the whole coast has that problem.”
“We are losing our young people too soon, too soon. They don’t even get a chance to live.’
The shipping containers were placed along Commission Road in October and were intended as a ‘temporary solution’, but the Navy is considering building a continuous concrete wall
John Whitfield, a pastor and CEO of the workforce development nonprofit Climb CDC, told NBC News, “The optics of that are really bad. I understand its usefulness’
Those who live and work in Gulfport, which has a population of 72,000, have spoken out about being hit by stray bullets and having to scramble through the city ravaged by gun violence
Tia Mosley’s 17-year-old son was killed in a drive-by shooting two years ago, and she gets worried every time she opens Facebook and sees more reports of local violence in Gulfport.
“It makes me not want my daughter to go out at all,” she said of her 11-year-old. “You can only pray.”
Retired teacher Martha Lockhart-Mais, who lives near the naval base, said one of her former students was shot dead last year while others were involved in other shootings.
“I don’t like walls separating people,” she said. ‘I think people should be able to live together without barriers.’
Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes, who is in his third term, agreed that gun violence in the area is a problem.
The Republican politician’s staff says that in some cases, problems arise when apartment complexes are not adequately secured.
He thought that parents should keep a closer eye on their children and intervene if they discover weapons.
“That’s where I think we start to have problems, when we rely on the government to fix everything,” Hewes said.
“Honestly, what I’ve seen and experienced and believe is that it starts at home.”