NEW HANOVER COUNTY — On Tuesday the county manager suspended the mediation and outreach division of its anti-violence department, Port City United.
Chris Coudriet will speak to commissioners at its meeting on Monday, April 1, to give a programmatic update on that sector of PCU.
Port City United includes three main areas of focus to help curb violence in the community:
- School-based resource coordinators help students in need by providing contact to nonprofits
- A 24/7 call center, PCU Connect, to pair up resources — food, housing, transportation — with community members
- A localized version of a Cure Violence Global intervention program, referred to at Port City United as mediation and outreach
Stephen Barnett was the supervisor of the latter division, which aims to bring down gun violence by sending “violence interrupters” into the community to help intervene in conflict. The program has involved hiring ex-gang members to intercede before anything escalates to gunplay. Barnett admitted in 2017 to being a part of the Bloods by age 15; though it’s unclear if the affiliation still stands today.
His employment with the county was terminated after Barnett’s Monday evening arrest for accessory after the fact in attempted murder. Wilmington Police Department allege Barnett drove a 17-year-old involved in the Houston Moore shooting on March 21 away from the scene in a county-owned vehicle.
Coudriet suspended the mediation and outreach division and put its 10 employees on paid administrative leave on Tuesday, March 27. The county did not answer how much they were paying cumulatively, nor how much money it has put toward PCU in the 2024-2025 budget.
The county pledged almost $40 million to it in 2022, to be paid out over four years; to date it has funded roughly $6.3 million. It’s been bankrolled by multiple county revenue sources, including from the hospital sale, the revenue stabilization fund and the American Rescue Plan Act, the latter of which runs out at the end of this year.
Some commissioners have already spoken out against keeping the program, including Dane Scalise and LeAnn Pierce. Both told Port City Daily the money is better spent toward the shortfall New Hanover County Schools faces in its next budget.
Coudriet said Tuesday the county was reviewing PCU’s protocols and practices and the update Monday will include information regarding as much, as well as address outreach and mediation’s current status.
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