While Pledge to Protect 901 hosted a march against gun violence Saturday in the Soulsville neighborhood, city leaders gathered in Hickory Hill for a community town hall.

The Gun Violence Prevention Town Hall was held at New Direction Christian Church at 6120 Winchester Road. 

Youth Villages starts intervention program to reduce homicide rate

“We have good people here who care about the community and want to change the perception of what Memphis is and what we produce,” said state Sen. London Lamar, who hosted the event. 

Panel members included Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis, Executive Director of Shelby County Office of Reentry DeAndre Brown and Rev. Reginald Boyce, pastor of Riverdale Missionary Baptist Church.

Lamar opened the forum by describing a piece of legislation she recently proposed to the state taking a “multi-agency approach” to tackle gun violence with plans for conflict resolution, a youth employment program and getting the Department of Health to deem gun violence as a public health issue.

Family of gun violence victim speaks to legislators in support of two bills

Lamar added she recently helped stop a bill proposed this year that would allow individuals in Tennessee to carry guns legally at 18 years old.

“Think about the implications on our community if a high school student at age 18 could legally buy and carry a gun,” Lamar said. “Gun violence is a real issue that can impact everybody.”

Reasons for gun violence

When the panel was asked what the root causes of gun violence were in the community, poverty immediately came to mind for Boyce.

“If we can define poverty, I think it’s the lack of choice,” Boyce said. “If we look at the root cause of murder, that lack of choice can contribute to the spirit of murder. If we can start attacking poverty, food deserts, areas of low-income employment and give options — that’s one of the ways we can start reducing violence.”

Youth Villages launches $60 million gun violence reduction initiative

Executive Director of Shelby County Office of Reentry DeAndre Brown countered that self-control trumps poverty when it comes to stopping gun crime. 

“I disagree that poverty is the cause of gun violence because all poor people don’t shoot,” Brown said. “There’s a lack of self-control because self-control is taught.”

Brown said the lack of a father figure left him aimless and angry as a young man just entering adulthood.

“I grew up a straight-A student and went to Rhodes College, but I actually shot at people. It had nothing to do with a lack of resources, it’s because I was mad,” Brown said. “I did not know how to channel that because I didn’t have a father in my house to teach me how to be a man.”

“Exposure is everything for our young people. Children will be what they see. If they grow up in a violent environment — whether it’s at home or at school — our children emulate those behaviors.”

C.J. Davis
Memphis police chief

Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said adults must set an example. 

“Exposure is everything for our young people. Children will be what they see,” Davis said. “If they grow up in a violent environment — whether it’s at home or at school — our children emulate those behaviors.”

Davis said children who lack a stable family hunger for a sense of belonging and local gangs often fill that void.

“All of us want a sense of belonging, to feel safe and included,” Davis said. “If the family network is broken down to some degree, our young people find themselves pulled into is gang violence.

“It’s a much broader conversation than ‘we have a bunch of bad kids.’ We have children that need to be nurtured and loved — to have exposure and access to other communities as well as their own.”

‘What are you doing?’

Lamar asked panel members: “What are your entities and organizations doing to help stop gun violence?”

Davis answered, “A lot of what you’re seeing is not just random gunfire — these are individuals that know each other. The police department can’t be in the house with the husband and the wife when things go awry and children could be affected by that violence. What is the holistic approach?”

Davis said early intervention through social work, and the police department’s collaboration with local schools, will stop children from going down the wrong path. 

“We have to bring in other social workers and those advocates for safe environments,” Davis said. “We can’t be in the schools, but we’re partnering with our school systems to try to identify when we have the onset of behavioral issues that sometimes mushroom into something much bigger.”

Interfaith MLK PrayWalk honors King’s legacy

Boyce agreed that when it comes to gun violence responding police officers are not the sole solution.

“The chief is correct: they’re responders,” Boyce said. “Most of the time with crime and domestic violence, community leaders like myself already know when someone’s going in the wrong direction.

“We’re working on reading the signs of potential violence and trying to encourage community policing. That way when our first responders respond they’re not responding to a homicide, they’re responding to community policing — members of the community who know one another and have stepped in to help.”

Brown said that the office of re-entry is focused on helping criminal offenders rebuild their self-esteem and hopefully their lives through counseling and rehabilitation services.

“While we can’t be in many places at once, the things we teach can,” Brown said. “We’re taking adults that have made bad decisions and teaching them how to become positive and productive citizens in each aspect of life, even the mental and emotional part.”

What about fear of retaliation?

Lamar also asked panelists about citizens who are afraid to speak up because they fear retaliation.

Davis noted that the vast community response following the death of Young Dolph should set an example that working with law enforcement is a positive, not a negative.

“Because this young man was such a popular figure and so many people embraced him in the community, we got thousands of tips and solved that crime,” Davis said. “In the MPD we all discuss that if we could have that same level of information, that outpouring of tips and leads? We could solve homicides and murders here in our city.”

“We have to get away from this idea of not helping law enforcement. We protect your identity. We have anonymous tip lines,” Davis said. “When all of those thousands of people gave us information on the Young Dolph murder, none of that information was compromised and we got the bad guy.

“We need that same type of trust and support in all of our cases.”

While stressing the positives of assisting law enforcement to prevent crime, Davis understands trust between law enforcement and citizenry must be earned. 

Boyce added that communication is paramount to not only preventing gun violence but making any kind of positive social change.

“Many people complain that all we do is talk about these issues,” he said. “But if we stop encouraging the dialogue, no one will talk. We need to encourage communication. That’s how you get action — by speaking.” 

Pledge to Protect 901

Earlier in the day on Walker Avenue, a group of Memphians assembled with the Pledge to Protect 901 organization for a community walk advocating the very same issue for which the town hall is advocating: gun violence prevention. 

Chief Davis walked with Pledge to Protect 901 in support of gun violence prevention just prior to making her way to the town hall.

Seventh unity walk against gun violence set for Saturday

“Today we were out at a community walk,” she said, “and some people say, ‘What is a walk going to do?’ It’s a demonstration that there is a community that is deeply concerned about issues affecting their lives.

“It’s easy to come out and support the families that are victims of gun violence. My advice would be to get involved. If you hear about a community event that fits your schedule and you can come, please do.”

Community matters

“If I had a magic wand, I would encourage people to gain a sense of community,” Brown said. “Children will only learn what they see in their house, and the world’s a much bigger place than that.”

He added that when an individual gains a sense of self-worth the anger and emotions that drive them to commit violent crimes dissipate.

“When you see value in yourself and extend that out to others, young people see you as valuable, not disposable,” Brown said. “People with guns kill if they don’t see value in you, because they don’t see value in themselves.”