The headline is nothing new to those of us who live in Clarksdale.
I wrote about hearing gunshots my first July 4th in Clarksdale. There was the Memorial Day Weekend when Sara and I were sitting on the patio and we heard five shots in quick succession. I asked her if she was going to call the cops. “Nah, you call them,” she said never looking up from her cell phone.
The sound of gunfire is common to many who live in Clarksdale – too common.
And it is a sad commentary on a city that prides itself as a place to invest in a business, locate a factory, come enjoy the blues as a tourist and to live and raise children.
City Hall
As the story on Page One explains, this is not the first time a downtown building has been hit by gunfire.
Metal roofs in Clarksdale suffer greatly because of the bullets randomly fired into the air that fall back to earth and punch neat round holes in tin.
I had a city commissioner tell me when they replaced the roof at the Clarksdale National Guard Armory they filled a coffee can with lead.
The Clarksdale Press Register had a leak that stained our ceiling early this spring that was blamed on a bullet from somewhere landing on us.
The house I live in has a bullet hole in an eastern window. A woman had a bullet crash through her window and land in front of her refrigerator earlier this year. Most who live in Clarksdale can tell similar stories.
I don’t want to make light of the bullet found in a City Hall window, but the only reason it was news is because it hit City Hall.
I don’t think anyone truly believes it was aimed at City Hall or anyone in particular. It was just another bullet fired in the air from a gun in somebody’s hand who really doesn’t care about you and me.
Gun violence
I do hope you take a look around at gun violence in Clarksdale.
We have three unsolved homicides that I know of. We have more aggravated assaults with a gun than I have time to count. This newspaper reports on “shots fired” calls just about every week.
It’s time to get tough on gunfire in Clarksdale and the root cause of much of it.
If it is gang related – and much of it is – a task force needs to be created or brought in to crack down on these crackheads. We understand a city/state/federal task force came in several years ago, held roadblocks, rounded up known gang members and generally made life tough on those who think they are so tough.
It’s also time for our courts to put those convicted of a crime involving a gun in jail.
I’ve always felt someone shooting at someone is not aggravated assault, but attempted murder. People in Clarksdale must understand a smoking gun in your hand is not a sign of power but a ticket to Parchman.
The saddest story is an elderly lady who called me a while back concerned about gunfire in her neighborhood. She didn’t give her name because she was scared her home might be targeted.
As I hung up the phone I realized this woman would go to sleep in Clarksdale that night with a certain amount of fear in her heart.
Last but not least, I urge the leaders in Clarksdale to realize that random gunfire that hits a child or an elderly woman in a home can be prevented and we need to stop it, now!
It’s time for Clarksdale to get serious about shots fired.
Floyd Ingram is Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. He owns guns and urges you to call him with your concerns and solutions to gunfire in our hometown at 662-627-2201.
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