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West Palm Beach on track to have its deadliest year

Posted at 7:18 PM, Nov 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-13 04:43:02-05

West Palm Beach is on track to have its deadliest year in recent history. 

For Robert Graham unloading this truck is the best part of his week.

"A part of my living is giving," he said.

He's the founder of True Fast Outreach Ministries. For decades he's called West Palm Beach home. 

"I've been here since like 1979-80," Graham said.

But back then his life was much different.

"I was homeless. I was on crack cocaine for about 17 years. I was in and out of jail most of my life," he recalled. 

But in the late 1990s he turned his life around and in 2002 he opened up his ministry. 

Fast forward to 2018, there have already been 25 homicides in West Palm compared to 28 last year. 

"The police have guns, the army has guns, residents have guns," he said "Everybody has guns. Why so surprised that people are getting shot with them."

So, Graham says his focus is to help take away some of the stresses his neighbors face by providing hot meals, clothes, and toys for children. Down the block, you'll find another man with a different approach.

"Until we as a community and until we as a people see this as a problem that we should be addressing I don't think much change is going to come," Ricky Aiken said.

In 2015, Aiken founded Inner City Innovators a group of men who mentor young men in high crimes areas.

"I call myself the hope dealer because I want to continue to give my people hope," Aiken said.