By: Prentiss Smith • Contributing Columnist
The recent shootings on Logan Street in Allendale and in downtown Shreveport have shaken the city, and rightly so. Thirteen people were shot. It seems that every day there is a shooting or a killing in Shreveport. That is a sad commentary.
That may sound like an exaggeration, but it is not. Gun violence in Shreveport is the lead story, the middle story and the end story, when it comes to Shreveport. Citizens want something done about it, but they know that Mayor Arceneaux is not the blame for what is going on. Black people have to look in the mirror, deal with the reality of what is happening in their communities.
Mayor Arceneaux has been on the job all of three months, and three months does not a successful mayor make. Let’s give him some time. He is just getting situated on the job and getting his mayoral sea legs under him. There are those who say that he is “failing the Black community,” which is ludicrous. He has not been on the job long enough to fail anything or anybody. That is incendiary rhetoric that is not needed.
Then there is also the criticism of the mayor for not being at a community meeting that was called to discuss crime. First of all, the mayor can’t be everywhere, nor should he be expected to be everywhere. He should not be expected to be at every meeting, every shooting, every prayer vigil or every called event, because it is not going to stop one killing. A community meeting to discuss what?
As was said earlier, Mayor Arceneaux is not the problem, and he should not have to defend himself against baseless allegations that have no merit. Yes, communities are stressed and traumatized, but this is a time for the city to come together, not to vilify the mayor or other public officials who are trying to stop the violence. Photo ops and raised voices are not the answer.
Of course, the mayor should be accessible and available to respond to citizen’s concerns. Mayor Arceneaux has been accessible and available, but there is only so much that he can do or say. He knew what he was getting into, and now he has to figure out how he is going make life better for all the citizens of Shreveport.
These are systemic problems that have been plaguing the Black community for many decades. The newly elected mayor, who happens to be white, is not the person who should be called out as "failing the black community." There is plenty of blame to go around, but it might be wise for those doing the accusing to look in the mirror.
Mayor Arceneaux has to be given the time and the resources to make a difference. The recent allegation that the mayor has “failed the black community” is ridiculous and should not be taken seriously by anyone who is looking at what is happening in the Black community.
The mayor, nor the chief, nor anyone else should be blamed for young Black men deciding that they want to use a weapon to resolve any dispute, whether it is large or small. People have to take responsibility for their own actions. That is part of the problem: no accountability.
Black-on-black crime is a scourge that is having an effect on everything that matters in the way the city is perceived. If crime is the only thing that is seen on television, in the newspapers and on social media, then there will never be a renaissance in Shreveport.
Companies are not going to relocate their businesses here. Small business aspirants and entrepreneurs are not going to feel obliged to make investments into starting new businesses or even trying to expand existing businesses.
Illiteracy and dropout rates are a big part of the problem. Low educational attainment and high dropout rates are common in disadvantaged communities. Individuals with low levels of education are more likely to become involved in criminal activity, as their options for legal employment become limited.
Gangs and gun culture are real. Gangs are prevalent in many urban, lower-income communities, often providing a sense of belonging and structure to at-risk youth. Violence is a major component of gang life, which translates to higher rates of gun-related crimes within these areas.
While crime exists across all socio-economic and racial lines, black-on-black crime in particular seems to garner attention not only due to the disproportionate rate of violence within the Black community, but also because of the harm it inflicts upon an already marginalized population. It is insidious.
It is a sad state of affairs that is happening every day in the Black community. It is a culture that exists where the gun is the great equalizer. These young black men are angry and disillusioned. Too many of them have no consistent male role models or mentors. There is no one to hold them accountable for their actions until they hear the jail doors shut.
It is a vicious cycle that leads to the types of actions seen this past weekend, when all the perpetrators and all the victims were Black. That is more than a law enforcement problem. That is a family structure problem, a lack of parental control problem, and putting more cops on the street is not going to get to the root causes of these problems.
There is no easy fix, and it is going to take a change in the culture and a change in the way law enforcement deals with these problems. The key is to start intervening in these young men’s lives earlier with mentors and role models.
Showing them compassion along with tough love can make a difference in their lives. Giving them the tools to resolve conflicts without violence will ultimately give them a different perspective on life and help them become better citizens.
Blaming Mayor Arceneaux for the "failures of the Black community" is not the answer. He is just someone who has taken on the difficult task of trying to fix the problem, and he needs all of the support he can get. He will be held accountable by the voters when the time comes. And that’s my take. smithprenaol.com