MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rape, murder, robberies, and drugs. More than 300 crimes were reported in the Raleigh-North Memphis area just last month.
State Representative Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) held a town hall meeting at Breath of Life Christian Church Thursday.
Dozens of mothers, fathers, and folks of all backgrounds showed up anxious to get a grip on crime in the Raleigh-North Memphis area.
State and local leaders took notes and will report back with a crime-fighting plan on paper within the next couple months.
“Your ideas and solutions, and we are going to capture all this information,” Parkinson said. “We want to make sure we maintain that control and ability to keep our community forward. ”
State and local lawmakers, police, educators, and business and religious leaders pitched their ideas on how to fight crime too, which included adding more police cameras in problem areas, finding funds to start neighborhoods watches, and creating more programs for children.
Some folks at the meeting want simple changes, like fixing sidewalks, adding speed bumps, and more lighting in their neighborhoods.
Police admit crime is a problem in Raleigh-North Memphis.
In the last month, WREG covered several shootings, and just this week, three teens were shot and a man arrested for pointing a gun at a toddler in a park.
“Murders, robberies, domestic violence,” Terry Walker who lives in North Memphis said.
While everyone agrees enough is enough, some folks think the meeting was too much talking and not enough walking.
“I have heard all that before. It’s the same thing, It’s election year, and they do what they do,” Walker said.
Parkinson said he’s created a crime task force to look over all the ideas.
