Thursday night a group of people interested in stopping youth violence in Selma met at the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center to study the issue.

A panel of people who had some relationship with helping stop youth violence through law enforcement and churches, spoke about their experiences. People from the audience shared their opinions and experiences.

Then, groups of those present joined together to talk about how the face of youth violence looks and why youth violence exists.

The answers and opinions were as varied as the 50-60 people gathered in the convention center.

The point is people are beginning to talk constructively.

And that’s in a large part to Selma City Councilwoman Angela Benjamin, who has gone through one of these cycles before through a similar project to bring Selmont and its people together. Dallas County Extension Coordinator Cassie Nelson also coordinated the event.

Selmont people are beginning to take action to reclaim their neighborhoods after several weeks of sharing and talking.