WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The Community Justice Center is one step closer to opening it’s doors in downtown Wilmington.
On Wednesday, New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David announced construction is complete and the center will soon open to the public.
The Community Justice Center will be on the fourth and fifth floors of the Harrelson Center, located at 20 N 4th Street. The new levels will have a focus on victims of sexual abuse, while also assisting those facing traumatic situations.
“If you’re ready to take a journey to healing and to justice, come to the Community Justice Center,” David described.
It’s a project close to David’s heart, as he spearheaded the efforts to bring it to life.
“We want to make sure that this is a place for everyone to understand that there is hope, healing, and justice that’s possible,” he said.
David calls it a one-stop shop.
The center is a collaboration between the District Attorney’s Office, the Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, and several non-profits, like the Carousel Center and Costal Horizons, all designed to help victims of trauma and abuse.
Marking a monumental move for the community, Gabby Petito’s family joined David for the event.
Petito lived in the Wilmington area for two years, before she was killed by an abusive boyfriend in 2021.
Her family now wants to spread the word about the importance of knowing the signs of domestic abuse.
“It’s really important for us to be here. Gabby gave us this huge light and this huge platform and we’re just trying to use it so people can get the resources they need,” Petito’s stepmom, Tara, said.
David said it was incredibly important to have Petito’s family in attendance.
“There’s 12 questions in what’s now called Gabby’s Law in the state of Florida. If you learn to ask the right questions, you can get someone out of the abuse that in Gabby’s case lit a nation for the idea that we need to be more trauma informed,” David said.
That’s exactly what David hopes the center will do: streamline resources, fight for justice, and give hope to victims.
“We want to make sure that this is a place for everyone to understand that there is hope, healing, and justice that’s possible. Don’t live in the shadows. Don’t let that person re-traumatize other folks and harm them,” David said. “Be that voice. Report that crime and see it through, and we will be right there with you when it happens.”
David says with the right resources, his team can do anything they put their minds to.
“We’re about reducing crime, reducing incarceration, and we think that this Community Justice Center is going to achieve that. It’s a lofty goal, but I like the team we’re with to go into the fight,” he said.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, praises David and the Wilmington community.
“This community is doing such an amazing job with coming together and working together. That’s what we want to see throughout the whole country, so I think it’s setting a precedent for the rest of the country, that we should follow this community collaboration,” she said.
A spokesperson with the DA’s office told WECT the Community Justice Center is set to open in just over a month with David at the helm.
David says he will become the center’s CEO in two weeks when he retires from the District Attorney’s Office September 3rd.
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