An alarming jump in gun violence in Clarksdale has brought some of its citizens and most of the community leaders together in a quest to find a solution.
Ironically, it was also a shooting that sent one man to the hospital Monday night, just minutes after he had reportedly attended a community forum addressing the rising crime rate in Clarksdale.
The man was reportedly shot several times at his home in the 400 block of Garfield Street around 7:30 p.m. Monday. The victim, who was not named, was taken to the Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center for treatment and police were searching for his shooter Monday night.
The shooting came about 30 minutes after a meeting at the Coahoma County Courthouse had broken up after a group of approximately 100 citizens, elected officials and members of law enforcement and the judicial branch had met for some 90 minutes.
The topic was the rise in homicides and violent crime within the city and what could be done to reduce a spike in crime that recently saw three murders in Clarksdale in a 19-day span.
With Saturday’s killing in a parking lot outside BeeCee’s Place, the city has now recorded 12 homicides in 2018, which is double the number logged in 2017 and the highest in the last six years.
A topic touched on several times Monday night was the lack of economic opportunities available here for young black males, which have primarily been the suspected shooters and victims in the 2018 murder cases.
Clarksdale resident Veronica Stuckey said there is a “manifestation of poverty” within the city that is fueling the crime.
“When people have a choice between what’s right and wrong and trying to survive, which one do you think they’re going to choose? They’re going to choose to survive and that’s what a lot of robbing, stealing and killing come from,” Stuckey said.
She pointed to a lack of afterschool programs, as well as the failure of local churches to recognize the growing problem.
“It’s more than just the city officials going to be held accountable, there’s more of you that need to be accountable,” Stuckey told the audience.
Many who spoke criticized what they believed were lenient sentences for violent offenders and also the lack of arrests. Of the 12 2018 killings currently being investigated by Clarksdale police, there have been arrests in seven of those cases.
Clarksdale resident George Fields said he was “sick and tired” of seeing young men that he knows being “gunned down.” He echoed the need to bring jobs here.
“Jobs deter trouble. Jobs deter crime,” Fields said. “If we got these young people out there on the job somewhere working, they don’t have time to be out there getting in trouble.”
And Fields also questioned if all of Clarksdale was receiving the same amount of police protection.
“Why don’t we get the same police protection on our side of town as you get over here on Clark Street,” Fields asked.
Commissioner Bo Plunk said he was hoping for a bigger turnout Monday as he urged those in attendance to talk to their neighbors and friends and share their thoughts.
“It affects all colors… not just one color,” Plunk said of the rise in crime. “If this problem is going to get fixed, it’s going to come from the community. Everybody in this town is affected by crime. It’s not an isolated issue.”
City resident Fred Hemphill said it is wrong to accept the high crime rate as “normalcy.”
“We should be upset about the number of young men losing their lives in the streets of Clarksdale,” Hemphill said. “One thing we can do as parents is start within the walls of our homes.”
County supervisor Johnny Newsom suggested that the city seek help from federal authorities. He pointed to several years ago when federal agents swooped in and made several arrests in the city. And he said citizens should welcome an increased police presence and also utilize programs such as Crimestoppers.
Clarksdale Police Chief Sandra Williams said while they do have funds for Crimestoppers, they are missing volunteers to serve as board members.
“Crimestoppers is a very important program in any law enforcement community,” she said of the program that pays out money to anonymous tipsters for information leading to an arrest.
Also, Williams said the city is close to having six new certified officers joining the force and the emphasis now is to get officers the training they need to do the job.
“I am concerned about what is going on in the community,” Williams said. “Safety is very important to me.”
Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy said the plan is to return the first or second week of December with a list of corrective actions to reduce violent crime in Clarksdale. He said he is seeking solutions, not complaints.
“I didn’t come back here to Clarksdale to lose,” said Espy, a former state representative who is a little over a year into his first term as mayor. “I came back here for this city to win.
“At the end of the day, anybody that is a hater about what’s going in our town, you tell them to get out of here….. Because we’re going to rebuild this town and I promise you this is going to be the best place for you to live. And we can do it together.”
