A pastor who says he has ties to former gangs alleges that Asheville, North Carolina, officials have failed to address gang-related violence, even as shootings continue to raise public safety concerns. Dr. Ronald Gates says his gang-prevention program was not acted on for years, and he points to retaliatory shootings as a turning point that brought more attention to the issue.
Both outlets frame Gates’ claims as criticism of how local authorities have handled crime. The reporting describes Gates urging city leaders to implement his prevention efforts and suggests that after a lack of action, violence becomes more visible to residents and officials. The accounts share a common focus on Gates’ allegations and the broader concern about escalating crime, but they do not provide detailed evidence or responses from the city within the excerpts provided.
Overall, the two sources rely on Gates’ perspective. They differ mainly in emphasis and phrasing—one highlights “whitewashing” and a longer period of inaction, while the other includes a quoted timeframe from Gates about what he expected to happen. Neither source excerpted here confirms the program’s impact or recounts an official statement addressing the accusation.
