MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Crime, safety and mental health were just a few of the heavy-hitting topics community members touched on during Thursday night’s town hall hosted by Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon. Sheriff Bonner was very transparent about just how many juveniles are currently locked up.
“Our juvenile population right now – we have 80 kids that are incarcerated down in juvenile court,” Sheriff Bonner said. “I’ve got another six or eight out at jail east.”
However, community members like pastor James Bulloch are more worried about repeat offenders who are continuously let back out of jail or juvenile detention.
“I’m really, really concerned about why is it that we lock up people and they’re right back out on the street,” Bulloch said. “I think that’s the biggest depressing part of it.”
A problem hitting too close to home for some.
“I just had a classmate - my classmate - just got killed here three weeks ago during a carjacking,” Bulloch said. “And the people who actually did the murder were out for doing the same things so I’m concerned. I don’t understand the revolving door.”
Bulloch said the only way to deal with crime and repeat offenders is by coming together as a community and brainstorming new ideas.
“I think we’re gonna have to think outside of the box,” Bulloch said. “I think we gotta understand where people are and what’s the causes of these crimes.”
Others said the solution comes in allocating funds to the right places.
“We can’t keep putting band aids on it and saying that it’s going to be okay,” he said. “It’s a great need, not just on the inner city of Memphis, but it’s on the edge of Shelby County as well … Let’s make sure that during budget season that we’re allocating dollars to the problems that we see.”
After he finished, Commissioner Sugarmon did push for community members to reach out to her with concerns so she can allocate funding to places that need it. In the meantime, she does plan to host future town halls to ensure community concerns are consistently addressed.