MEMPHIS, Tenn — Tuesday night, Memphis City Councilwoman Rhonda Logan hosted a community meeting focused on ways to build and maintain safety in the Raleigh community.
Memphis police chief C.J. Davis, mayoral candidate and Shelby County sheriff Floyd Bonner and assistant district attorney Laura Fowler all participated in a panel to talk about what is being done to combat crime in the area.
Long-time Memphian Clyde Tart said his family is still waiting for justice after his daughter’s husband was shot and killed during an argument with a coworker in 2022.
“They were looking like they were going to box it out and resolve it that way,” he said, describing the incident. “The other (security guard), what he did was, he pulled his weapon out and shot him point blank.”
The tragedy is what brought him to the community public safety meeting at Breath of Life Christian Center.
“This guy’s out here living,” Tart said. “He’s free. It’s been a year.”
The issue of repeat arrests and the “revolving door” at 201 Poplar was one of the main topics of conversation.
“No longer are people afraid of being arrested,” one attendee said. “No longer is prison a deterrent. So there has to be some other type of engagement that allows us to change a person’s behavior.”
Chief Davis told those gathered that Tennessee has one of the highest rates of repeat offenders in the country. In Memphis, she said 53 percent of people arrested for violent crime have previous arrests for similar offenses, with the highest demographic being 17- to 25-year-olds who are either black or brown.
“We can give them tips on how they can make themselves safe, how they can keep their homes and how they can operate around the city safer too,” Chief Davis said, discussing the benefits from the meeting.
The police chief and Sheriff Bonner also discussed their department’s efforts to cut down on crimes like drag racing, stolen cars and gun violence.
“We’re starting to see a shift in some of our crime numbers. We’re seeing reductions in some of our precincts, and I think our community members were happy to hear that as well,” Chief Davis said.
But community members continued to ask about repeat arrests among juveniles.
“We’ve got a lot of kids, families and all that are not in the churches anymore,” said Michelle Keller. “You’re not going to reach them there. So how’re you going to do things to help reach the everyday community citizen?”
Chief Davis said the precincts of Austin Peay, Tillman and Appling Farms, are among those where they have seen a decrease in auto thefts and smash and grabs, much of it due to an increased police presence she referred to as “soft visibility.”