Mayor Paul Young and Interim Police Chief C.J. Davis paid a visit to the Orange Mound Community Center in Memphis, continuing the "One Memphis" tour, which focuses on tackling issues locals face, including the rampant crime rates, especially after the recent mass shooting that rocked the area earlier in April. The gathering also comes on the heels of another violent incident involving a deputy, as chronicled by WREG.
Amidst the Orange Mound community's outcry for increased public safety, Mayor Young highlighted the collective heartache felt, insisting, "We cannot give up on our city." In addressing the block party shooting on April 20 that killed two individuals and wounded several others, all under the age of 30, Davis has narrowed the investigation to "approximately 18 people of interest if not more," according to WREG. The police department is meticulously poring over video evidence provided by community members.
The town hall meeting, reported by Action News 5, beckoned residents to engage directly with city leaders, voicing their concerns on pivotal issues such as crime, youth engagement, and local blight. Mayor Young responded to community appeals with plans outlined in the city's upcoming budget. This includes establishing more game rooms and positive spaces in community centers across Memphis, details of which were not present at one but every community center told the residents in the statement.
During this heartfelt exchange, Mayor Young echoed a resident's plea for progress, "Y’all are doing a good job keep it up, don’t fall short they want us to fall back, we not gone fall back we gone keep going forward," Jennifer Fason, mother of 22-year-old Chalmar Fason who was fatally shot in the incident, implored for changes that would ensure the safety of not just Orange Mound, but all of Memphis, as she told WREG.
On a broader strategy to stem the tide of violence in the city, Mayor Young and Interim Chief Davis emphasized mentorship for the youth as a sustainable path forward. "Part of our goal has to be to give young people other options," Mayor Young said, addressing the lure of illicit activities as an easy money path, and advocating for safe and positive alternatives, thereby steering the community towards healing and growth as noted in a FOX13 Memphis report.
