I don’t like bringing you bad news. Please note your Clarksdale Press Register typically puts crime stories on the inside pages. But a murder or major act of violence is placed on the front page for us to deal with.
The headline on Page One of today’s paper 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’s a sad commentary on a city that prides itself as a place to invest in a business or industry, come enjoy the blues as a tourist and to live and raise children.
Juke Joint
What happened in downtown Clarksdale on Saturday night was a crime. It was a crime against you and me, and a crime against the community.
We hope you – the people of Clarksdale – will support police at every turn as they seek to bring those who created this situation to justice.
There is not a doubt in my mind Juke Joint organizers will learn from this incident and plan accordingly for next year.
But this has once again brought attention to a bigger problem in Clarksdale. Just like the shooting of a child at our Crossroads brought heartache and shame to Clarksdale, Saturday’s shooting hurt us all.
We have city leaders who defunded our police department more than two years ago and who apparently used that money to pay for their big pay raises.
Skycop may give us a photo of a crime, but it will never arrest and bring to justice anyone.
And again I will say “Something needs to be done!”
This is not the first time downtown 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 last spring that was blamed on a bullet from somewhere landing on us. A woman had a bullet crash through her window and land in front of her refrigerator last 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 that 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 several 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.
And it’s time for our courts to put those convicted of a crime involving a gun in jail. If the cops arrest them and the judges turn them loose, we are not accomplishing much.
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.
Last but not least, please realize that random gunfire that hits a child, comes in the window of an elderly woman’s home, or occurs at one of our schools or festivals will not be tolerated.
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.
