Mayor discusses plans to combat crime during AKA event
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As tragedy continues to plague the city of Memphis, some community members got the opportunity to express their concerns with the mayor.
On Saturday, the Beta Epsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated hosted a Mayoral 100th-day forum.
It was an opportunity for community members to converse with Mayor Paul Young as he passes his 100 days in office.
“What’s really important is the opportunity for the mayor to hear their voice, thoughts, and concerns. and for them to also hear from him,” President of Beta Epsilon Omega Chapter of AKA, Dr. Judy Martin said.
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Blight, education, mental health and youth investment were among the topics discussed.
Another big topic was crime.
“We’ve been in office for four months. Crime didn’t start when I got here,” Young said. “Crime has been here for many years, and it’s not going to be an overnight fix.”
The event fell on the heels of a triple shooting on Beale Street, the Orange Mound Park mass shooting and two deadly officer-involved shootings – one involving Memphis police and the other involving the Shelby County Sheriff’s office.
All of those incidents happened within the month of April.
“We’re thinking holistically. We know we have an urgency around getting those committing the immediate crime off the streets,” Young said. “But we’re also thinking about how we are going to prevent the next generation of young people from going into a life of crime.”
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The Mayor says his office is committed to making the community safer, but those solutions will start at city hall.
“Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll hear a lot of deliberations between the administration and the council around what investments are going to work to make our community safer,” Young said. “We are going to make sure that we apply that budget to make sure we get different results in our city.”
Mayor Young introduced his budget proposal earlier this week.
It includes $2.5 million for crime tech and cameras. He also proposed a 75-cent increase in city property taxes.
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