Jackson community gathers to ‘reduce violence’
JACKSON, Mich. (WLNS) – Leaders, law enforcement, and community members gathered Wednesday for the third annual community summit to address and reduce violence in Jackson.
During the summit on Wednesday, a focus was placed on community member’s active engagement in intervening in problems before situations escalate to the point of violence.
More than 100 people participated in the event at the American One Event Center. The primary question: How do we limit violence in the city?
The summit provided community members, including high school students, the opportunity to meet with police officers and figure out their role in a solution.
“Violence is going to continue,” Deputy Chief Sergio Garcia of the Jackson Police Department tells 6 News. “So, until we stand up against it, that’s the reality.”
But law enforcement officials stressed they are partners in ending violence, not the sole entity responsible and capable of stopping violence.
That message connected to Vanessa Ibeson, a student at Northwest High School.
“It’s important that the youth uses their voice and speaks out against these situations, because it does affect us,” she says.
Ibeson was a participant on one of four panels at the summit on Wednesday.
The panels allowed the community to ask questions of students, city officials, law enforcement, and mental health professionals.
Ibeson says the most impactful panel discussion, for her, was the conversation with law enforcement. That conversation allowed community members to express concerns about trust in police and advocate for a way to submit tips to law enforcement anonymously.
Jackson Chief of Police Elmer Hitt says the call for an anonymous tip process was “necessary” and promised the department would work to develop something.
“A better way for us to receive that information,” he says, “with people understanding or trusting that it’s confidential, or that their name doesn’t even need to be provided, and that can be a huge benefit to us.”
Hitt says the summit was an opportunity to reflect on what the community was doing right, as well.
“Not just law enforcement efforts, but community efforts have made an impact,” Hitt says. “And it’s been fairly quiet as of recent.”
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