MEMPHIS, Tenn. – – Galvanized by Young Dolph’s murder, more than a hundred people participated in a virtual town hall meeting Monday night designed to cut down on violence in Memphis.
The meeting was hosted by the NAACP.
Many feel the issue has to be addressed at the source by investing in poor neighborhoods.
Tameka Greer, who runs “Memphis Artists for Change”, an organization that provides resources for impoverished families, said it’s important to help incarcerated men become positive members of society when they get out of prison.
“Let’s talk about what happened? What happened to you?” Greer said. “If we don’t get to the heart of that then we’re kind of just spinning our wheels in the same old norm that we’ve been doing. Prevention is intervention.”
Memphis resident Anthony Sledge believes young men in these communities need strong role models who’ve turned their lives around after going down the wrong path.
“We got to find those individuals who have been through some things in their personal lives,” Sledge said. “Find people who’ve been in the ditches who’ve been in situations like the man who was incarcerated. People who’ve been in situations and can talk to young people in the community. See, if you’ve never been hungry you can’t tell nobody about being hungry.”
Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner said he’s working on ways to put more tax dollars into disadvantaged areas.
“You’re not going to stop the violence without addressing poverty,” Commissioner Turner said. “We’re not going to stop the violence without addressing mental health, which is a part of poverty and we’re not going to stop the violence without addressing food deserts.”
More meetings will be scheduled in the future. WREG will let you know once they are scheduled.