MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police can enforce and city leaders can legislate, but many said the real fight against crime starts with the people.
“It’s insane to think police are gonna cure all this. This is a community problem. We got a moral decay,” said Community Activist Stevie Moore.
He has been pushing the ‘Stop the Killing’ message for 12 years, since his own son was gunned down and killed. He’s gone into schools, homes and onto crime scenes.
“When I get on the homicide site, one of the biggest problems is to stop the retaliation. You kill my brother or sister or whoever. I am going back to kill yours,” said Moore.
He said city leaders can only do so much. People have to become angry enough to demand change.
“We get shot on a daily basis, but where is the march? Where is the intensity that says hey these are our babies getting killed. They are getting killed by one another. When are we gonna get mad enough and come out in mass forces?” asked Moore.
Police said there are too many guns on the street.
The Mayor-Elect, Jim Strickland, said go back to the police program Blue Crush, a statistical approach to predicting where crime will happen and quashing it.
Citizens said that’s fine, but getting everyone to stake a claim is the way to turn things around.
“You see somebody’s child doing something they don’t need to be doing, you need to step up and play your part. But we make it hard because we don’t want to get involved,” said Tim Shelton, who frequently travels to Memphis from Atlanta.
Stevie Moore will be hoping to change things with this weekend’s 5th Annual Unity Picnic and Peace Rally.
Hundreds are expected to attend.
It’s at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Audubon Park.
The idea is for people to come together to find solutions.
“This is what this rally is about; living in peace, the community coming together,” said Moore.
