MEMPHIS, TN - Mayor A C Wharton had an impressive display of government leaders and department heads at his inaugural town hall meeting in Frayser on Monday, November 30, 2009.
But the citizens of Memphis say they want more than talk, they want action. There were calls for Mayor Wharton to hire a new police director, complaints about trash pick-up and more than anything, concerns expressed about crime.
"We've lived in Frayser since 1960," says Caroletta Mitchell, "and I've watched it grow since then. It's gotten bigger and I think the biggest issue we have is crime."
Shelica Cox, a mother of three who moved to Frayser three years ago, agrees with Mitchell.
"The crime needs to get better," she says, "the crime is number one for me."
California transplant Glen Ross, who moved to Bartlett, showed up at the Frayser forum for the same reason. "The crime issue," he says, "that was one of my concerns when I looked on the internet for housing."
The consensus inside The Breath of Life Christian Center, the church hosting Mayor Wharton's meeting, is that crime is killing the community. Four recent deadly shootings all involving teenagers, put the spotlight on the growing problem of youth violence.
"We are really concerned," says Mayor Wharton, "about what we can do to stem the tide of what's happening with our young people for obvious reasons."
Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin acknowledged the specific crimes plaguing the Frayser-Raleigh neighborhoods.
"We've had some gang issues out here," he told the crowd of about 100 people. "And we've had burglaries out here."
Godwin then provided some encouraging numbers. Overall crime in Memphis, he says, is down 16%. Crime in the Frayser-Raleigh area, he says, is down 12%.
But later in the night, Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell delivered a sobering statistic.
"The juvenille population at the Shelby County Jail," says the sheriff, "is up 50% from last year."
And that's what worries Shelica Cox, with son Roy and daughters Brianna and Brittany to raise.
"I expect more out of A C Wharton," she says. "Because these children have to grow up in Memphis."
Concerned citizen Glen Ross couldn't agree more.
"I'm here tonight," he says, "to support the mayor in his initiatives for the future. I just hope the other city leaders get onboard with him to fight crime and make Memphis the great city it's supposed to be."
At age 84, Caroletta Mitchell's hope for the future of her beloved Frayser community and for the entire city, relies on A C Wharton's administration getting things done and something else.
"Maybe I'm a fool," says Mitchell, "but I have strong faith. And God has looked after me all my life. And I think he'll look after me a little longer."
Mayor Wharton says many of his crime-fighting and anti-gun violence programs will take approval by the state legislature. Members of the Memphis-Shelby County delegation plan to meet at the main public library on Poplar Avenue on December 16th.
