CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in North Carolina, particularly among young people, according to state data.
Now, after a recent death at a Charlotte parking deck, a longtime mental health advocate is calling for additional safety measures, saying awareness alone is not enough to prevent tragedy.
What You Need To Know
Suicide is the leading cause of death in North Carolina, especially among young people, according to the CDC
A Charlotte advocate helped install 988 hotline signs in parking decks, which coincided with a drop in deaths
A recent suicide at one deck has renewed calls for stronger prevention measures
New ideas include barriers, panic buttons and direct connections to emergency responders
Fonda Bryant, a Charlotte-based mental health advocate and suicide attempt survivor, has spent years working to reduce stigma and save lives. Part of that effort included installing suicide prevention signs in parking decks across the city, encouraging people in crisis to call or text 988, the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
“Before my signs went up in 2018, there had been six suicides here in four years,” Bryant said.
Bryant said those signs appeared to make a difference.
“We went three years, three whole years with no incidents,” Bryant said.
But that progress was disrupted in 2024 and again last week when, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, another person died by suicide at the same parking deck.
“That is now nine people, and one is one too many,” Bryant said.
Bryant said the loss is deeply personal and reinforces the need for stronger prevention strategies.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 49,000 people died by suicide in the United States in 2023, roughly one death every 11 minutes.
While Charlotte’s prevention signs were intended to connect people to immediate help, Bryant now believes additional physical and technological interventions could make a critical difference.
“I’m trying to think about ways that we can prevent them, whether it’s a barrier or whether it’s putting a phone or panic button in the parking deck where they can hit it and it goes directly to 911. And when they tell them they’re in crisis or suicidal, operators who’ve been trained in the city can send someone out here to help someone because this has got to stop,” Bryant said.
Bryant has reached out to the parking deck’s new ownership, advocating for changes such as barriers or emergency call buttons that would not require someone to have a phone.
“I’m going to do everything I can, reach out to whoever I need to reach out to. Until we prevent suicides in this parking deck and prevent trauma. But the public as well as our first responders,” she said.
A security guard at the deck said proactive efforts are being made following the most recent death but did not provide specific details. The property’s new ownership has not responded to requests for comment.
Bryant believes access to resources may have played a role in the most recent case, noting the possibility the individual did not have a phone to call 988. Police have not confirmed details about the person’s living situation.
She said adding direct-access emergency tools could help remove barriers to getting help in moments of crisis.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
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