Payton Fletcher/The Thomasville Times-EnterpriseSTANDING HIS GROUND: Councilman Terry Scott sat at Villa North Apartments encouraging people to put down their guns and save the community.

THOMASVILLE — On Monday, City Councilman Terry Scott set up at Villa North Apartments to raise awareness about gun violence within the local area.

A local pastor and founder of the Think Before You Re-act Gun Violence organization, Scott said that it was critical to start talking about the rising dangers of gun violence in the area.

“This is my community and I feel like someone needs to start talking about gun violence,” he said. “It’s an epidemic, that’s what it is, an epidemic is going on here.”

With recent shootings at Villa North Apartments, he said that gun violence could happen anywhere and that the community needed to stand together against it.

“It’s time for us, as people to start standing,” Scott said. “I’m asking pastors, ministers, everyone that wants to collaborate with me on this gun violence. Because it happened at Villa North Apartments, it happened in your community, it can happen at your house, it can happen anywhere.”

Scott said that local gang activity and drug dealing contributed to the rising gun violence facing the community, asking those involved to put down their guns for the sake of their community.

“Drug problems create gun violence,” he said. “But what I’m asking the gangs, the drug dealers, is to come together, put your guns down.”

Setting up alongside the entrance of the apartments from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Scott said he wanted to start getting people involved in raising awareness, saying that numerous drivers had honked their horns in support of his mission.

“It’s been pretty good,” he said. “I know everybody’s working today, but just when you’re driving by, honk your horn.”

Scott said that no one, from the men, women and children of Villa North Apartments to anyone else in Thomasville, deserved to live in fear of gun violence in their area.

“They don’t deserve to have the area permeated by gun violence,” he said. Scott said that his organization would be holding another event at Thomas County Public Library next Thursday at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. where he would be listening to local community members about their issues in the local area. “I’ll be listening to the people, what they want to voice,” he said.