Hattiesburg community wants plan to end the rise in youth gun violence

Some Hattiesburg leaders want to get a handle on recent shootings in Hattiesburg, including one that resulted in the death of a 6-year-old child in February.

Despite the 12 shootings reported to police through March 1, violent crime in Hattiesburg is down by nearly half in the first four months of 2022, including a 43% reduction in aggravated assaults, Hattiesburg Police Assistant Chief Hardy Sims said.

“We know more needs to be done,” he said. “We have far too many random senseless shootings in our city. Just because someone is not hit doesn’t make it any less.”

Despite a crime rate that has been trending downward for the last several years, some community leaders are worried the recent shootings could lead to others, any of which could turn fatal.

“It’s time for us to figure out how to stop the violence,” Sims said. “It’s time for us to come together to help each other build neighborhoods where all of us — kids and adults alike — can feel safe from crime.”

‘We have to reengage our students’

Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado held a town hall meeting Monday, May 23, at Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center to get input from the community on their concerns and ideas to make Hattiesburg neighborhoods safer.

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“We have innocent individuals who are going about our everyday lives, trying to live our lives and protect our families, having to deal with these acts of irresponsibility — acts that should never be occurring in the first place,” she said.

Other community leaders talked about programs they were working on to engage the city’s youth, whether it’s afterschool tutoring, greeting children as they arrive at school or teaching them a trade or craft.

Hattiesburg Public School District Superintendent Robert Williams said one way to reach children is to ask questions and “have a conversation with your child.”

“I know it’s not a brain-surgeon idea, but the average parent probably does not speak to their child 30 minutes in an entire week,” he said. “When kids come home, if they have an electronic device, they’re going to go to that device and find them a corner and get in it.

“We have to be intentional in this. We have to reengage our students.”

The Rev. Kenneth Fairley of Mount Carmel Ministries said the community can help by recognizing the positive things done by the city’s youth instead of the negative.

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Seeking spiritual guidance helps, too, he said.

“I’m old school,” Fairley said. “But I want you to know that prayer still works. When you don’t know what to do, you have to go to the one who can provide us direction.”

Torrence Green, who grew up in Hattiesburg, works with Pathway to Hope Mentoring Program in Jackson to bring groups of people together that are already working with young people to have a connected network so they can help each other help children.

Green is working with community leaders in Hattiesburg to establish a similar program.

“There are a lot of groups out there doing a lot of great things, but they’re doing them in pockets,” he said. “We have to start coming together and connecting the dots.”

Community members offer possible solutions

Members of the community were given the opportunity to talk about their concerns and offer possible solutions.

The Rev. Johniel Henry, pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church, said there was a recent “shootout” outside the church one evening.

Although no one was injured, it raised concerns about assault weapons, especially in the hands of teenagers under 18, who cannot legally purchase guns.

“Where are the efforts to limit access?” Henry asked.

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Claudia Givens and Elaine Wilkerson said more needs to be done to reach children before they are influenced by their peers, to teach them values and encourage them to stay on a positive path.

“When a child is not valued, something happens in their souls,” Givens said. “How many people have holes in their souls?”

Wilkerson added the community needs to come up with a strategic plan to find the root cause of increased crime in youths and develop a coalition of concerned citizens of all ages to help implement solutions.

Assistant Chief Sims agreed and said it takes a community to raise a child.

“You can’t rely on police alone,” he said. “By the time we get there, the violent act has already happened.”

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Hattiesburg community wants plan to end the rise in youth gun violence

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