Asheville, North Carolina, is facing renewed scrutiny over public safety after a local pastor accused city leaders of ignoring warnings about youth violence and gang activity for years.
Dr. Ronald Gates, a pastor who says he had gang ties when he was younger, told Fox News Digital that he first approached Asheville officials in 2016 with a proposal for a youth gang-prevention program.
Gates says he repeatedly urged officials to invest in early intervention before young people became involved in gangs, crime or cycles of retaliation. His concerns have gained renewed attention following a series of shootings that left two people dead and seven others injured.
Pastor Says Asheville Ignored Years of Warnings
Gates said his proposed program was designed to reach children before they became involved in criminal groups.
The initiative, known as Gang Free, focuses on students in grades four through six and teaches them about gang recruitment, the consequences of gang involvement and alternatives to joining dangerous groups.
According to Gates, he presented the idea to city officials beginning in 2016 but says his recommendations were not adopted.
The pastor now argues that authorities should have acted earlier to address the conditions that can lead young people toward violence.
Recent Shootings Renew Debate Over Gang Activity
The debate has intensified following recent violence in Asheville.
Police have described a downtown shooting that killed two people and wounded seven others as a retaliatory act. However, authorities have stopped short of officially classifying the incident as gang-related, instead describing it as retaliation involving groups of friends.
Gates strongly disagrees with that characterization.
He argues that focusing on individual disputes can overlook broader patterns involving recruitment, group identity and retaliation. At the same time, he acknowledged that not every violent incident in Asheville should automatically be labeled gang-related.
The distinction has become an important part of the city's debate over how officials should respond to violent crime.
Asheville Crime Data Adds to Public Safety Debate
Available crime statistics show that Asheville's violent-crime picture has changed significantly over the past several years.
According to data cited in the report, the city recorded 42% more violent crimes in 2024 than it did in 2016. Aggravated assaults accounted for much of the increase, rising from 335 reported cases in 2016 to 558 in 2024.
Overall crime, however, does not tell a single-direction story. The city's crime index declined during the same period, while violent crime peaked in 2022 before falling for two consecutive years.
Those figures have fueled competing arguments about whether Asheville's public safety challenges are improving or require a more aggressive prevention strategy.
Pastor Calls for More Youth Violence Prevention
Gates says the focus should not be limited to policing after crimes occur.
As a pastor and Buncombe County Sheriff's Office chaplain, he says he has seen how young people can be drawn toward violence through peer pressure, money, territory and a desire for belonging.
He believes prevention programs should give children positive role models and alternatives before conflicts escalate.
Gates has also emphasized that families, community organizations and law enforcement all have roles to play in preventing young people from becoming involved in violent groups.
City Faces Pressure to Address Public Safety
The controversy comes as Asheville continues working to balance its reputation as a popular Blue Ridge Mountain destination with concerns about crime and disorder.
The city has faced broader criticism over homelessness, public intoxication and conditions in parts of downtown, while officials and residents continue to debate the causes and solutions.
Gates' criticism adds another dimension to that discussion, placing greater emphasis on youth intervention and the prevention of retaliatory violence.
For now, officials have not adopted Gates' characterization of the recent shootings as gang violence. But with residents and community leaders demanding answers, the debate over how Asheville identifies and responds to violent crime is likely to continue.
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