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Locals Speak Out After Naval Base Erects Wall to Prevent Stray Bullets

A retired teacher in Gulfport, Mississippi, said, “I don’t like walls that separate people. I feel that people should be able to live together without having a barrier.”

Lining a Navy base in Gulfport, Mississippi is more than 20 shipping containers. There’s nothing in them—they’re there to act as a barrier wall, protecting the inside of the base from stray bullets that fly in as the city combats an ongoing gun violence crisis. “The optics of that are very bad,” John Whitfield, a pastor and nonprofit CEO told NBC News. “The practicality of it, I understand.” A spokesperson for the base said the barrier is just a “temporary solution” as the city works to address gun violence. The wall was put up last fall, but unconvinced residents are still speaking out, especially as the Navy floats a permanent concrete wall to replace the temporary one. Bettie Ewing, a retired housing rights organizer in West Gulfport, doesn’t like the message it sends. “We’re going to protect the military, but the other civilians, we’re just going to let them be,” she said. Martha Lockhart-Mais, a retired teacher in the town, echoed similar concerns. “I don’t like walls that separate people,” she said. “I feel that people should be able to live together without having a barrier.”