Hamilton County YRs Respond to Escalating City Violence
By admin | April 8, 2010
The recent shootings at Coolidge Park are unacceptable and we condemn such violence as senseless criminal acts, but we believe that the violence is symptomatic of a deeper problem that exists in Chattanooga—the failure of the current City Administration to take the wider problem of gangs and violence seriously. This steadily growing issue is not about race or about political parties—it is an issue about Public Safety, a concern that should be the number one concern of any municipal government.
Coolidge Park is no exception. On many weekends after dark, one can venture down off the Walnut Street Bridge and find hundreds of roving youths creating an atmosphere that fosters violent confrontations, gang activity, and illegal acts and is intimidating for outsiders. Whether the result of “flash mobs” or not, the unruly crowds at Coolidge Park have been occurring for years, and they must stop.
However, Mayor Littlefield and his Administration have continued to ignore this problem. Even now, when confronted with five people being shot, the Administration continues to make excuses for why they have failed to prevent the rise of violent crime throughout Chattanooga. Whether because of fear, politicking, or simply refusing to take public safety seriously, the Administration continues to let the situation grow out of control until shootings are a nightly centerpiece on every local news channel.
What can be done? Taking proactive measures to make Coolidge Park safer will go a long way toward improving the public safety of the entire city.
First, Mayor Littlefield must make a commitment to put more officers on the ground in Coolidge Park. No amount of money spent on expensive cameras and other technology can actually prevent crime to the same degree uniformed and armed patrolmen can. The police presence must be visible and vigilant, and our safety should not be left up to only unarmed security personnel. Stronger police patrols will deter wrongdoers and rowdy crowds, and provide a comforting presence to families at the park.
Second, large crowds of unruly youths should be stopped before they form. These crowds, even if they are not always gangs, certainly constitute an unlawful assembly. Police should enforce the laws on the books to prevent large crowds from forming and getting out of hand. If the present laws are not robust enough to prevent this kind of assembly, then legislation with teeth should be passed to prevent violent crowds from forming.
Third, create a pro-family, business friendly environment in the park and surrounding area. Coolidge Park is one of the premier family gathering places in Chattanooga, and it should be so even after dark. Install better lighting in the park, and in the surrounding alleys and parking lots. Encourage businesses to stay open later. Hold more organized activities in the park in the evenings.
Fourth, immediately rescind the city-wide prohibition on lawfully carrying handguns in city parks. The laws clearly do not prevent crime. The shooters did not have carry permits and were carrying illegally regardless of park regulations. The city should not be in the business of emasculating law-abiding citizens by preventing permit holders from carrying in the park. Rescinding the law would go a long way in making our parks safer places. And to be clear, Citizens should not take the law into their own hands, but should be able to defend themselves as a last resort if they are unable to remove themselves from a violent situation.
Fifth, eliminate violence by better identifying at-risk youth and creating environments through non-profits, churches, and other concerned citizen groups to deter such behavior. Provide stronger support for court-sponsored diversion programs and after school mentoring programs.
Finally—and most importantly—Mayor Littlefield and his Administration must immediately take full responsibility for the recent violence and vow to take active, decisive measures to eliminate crime from the Park and rest of the city. The Mayor must acknowledge the problem and address it head-on before there can be any hope of a safer Chattanooga. He, and our other elected officials must use the Bully Pulpit to acknowledge the problem proactively, not defend it reactively. If he is not willing to do this, then the road to safety will be a much longer, more painful, and we can expect many more news reports of violence in our City.
As Republicans, we remain skeptical of relying solely on government to correct our problems. However, if we believe that government has any responsibility at all, it is to first and foremost provide for the public safety. This responsibility for change goes beyond city leaders, though, and we must ask what can be left to the private sector to promote a safer environment in Coolidge Park and across Chattanooga. What steps can North Shore merchants take to encourage responsible enjoyment of the park and surrounding areas? What can citizen groups do to increase the safety of the park while keeping government spending to a minimum? How can each one of us give a little of our time to positively impact at-risk youth?
Chattanooga has always been about families. If we want that to continue, we must all take responsibility to stop the violence.
Written by member Scott Maucere of Maucere Law Group
Topics: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
3 Responses to “Hamilton County YRs Respond to Escalating City Violence”
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Large crowds should be stopped before they form??
Crowds constitute unlawful assembly???
Laws on our books prevent large crowds from forming????
Pass MORE, stronger laws to prevent assembly??
Now this is scary stuff! Young Republicans, does this man really speak for you?
You are very right that we would need to be careful how any laws would be made. With laws about crowds forming, this is strictly in the context of the Coolidge “flash mobs”…it is so important that laws are carefully crafted to not invade our privacy, but if the police have no teeth, we could be facing situations like they have in Philadelphia and other places.
And even more importantly, going with Scott’s fifth point, laws are not the only answer, and simply targeting youth congregations is NOT the answer. We must promote and provide other activities for our youth, but in semi-structured environments.
I definitely think that turning a blind eye to the 5 people shot in Coolidge, or the 27 shootings in just 3 months would very unwise and only help escalate this problem.
And you bring up such a good point, that we can not just form laws out of fear, but make sure any laws that give the police the power to stop violence similar to the Coolidge shootings give them the authority to do what they need to do to keep families safe, but do not open the door to simply disperse crowds they don’t like. This can definitely be a slippery slope if we are not careful.
Oh, and also, Mr. Maucere wrote this, but using ideas from our entire group. We must be careful responding to this issue, but it MUST be responded to…the current policy of hoping it goes away is not working.