GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – There have been 31 victims of homicides in Greensboro so far this year, according to Greensboro police.

New crime statistics reveal murders have spiked in the northeast part of the city. There have been 13 this year compared to five at the same time last year. 

“The pendulum is swinging in the negative manner here in Greensboro,” said Arthur Durham, a consultant for Gate City Coalition. “Somebody’s got to be on the front lines.”

The coalition has a team of nine people interrupting potential violence. Durham told FOX8 they’ve stopped 150 heated conflicts this year.

“There’s another alternative than picking up a gun or knife,” he said. “You never know when you’re going to get a phone call…that somebody brandished a firearm or a fight that’s getting really intensified.” 

The coalition’s focus is on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and the Smith Homes community on West Florida Street. 

“We can’t spread them [team members] nowhere else unless we know it’s necessary to try to get to those areas,” Durham said.

Greensboro has averaged nearly four homicides a month this year. The highest was in January and July with five homicides, according to police. 

“We need to have ears open and feet on the ground in every potential area,” he said.

He’s considering areas like Summit Avenue, Randleman Road and communities off Phillips Avenue where two people were shot and died less than 36 hours apart last week. 

“We’re just trying to prevent these things from happening, so we won’t have 16, 17, 18-year-olds committing homicides, leaving the streets, going to jail for the rest of their life,” Durham said. 

Durham told FOX8 that to expand their outreach, it’s going to take more money and resources to add team members.