MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tuesday evening, over 100 people gathered at the Orange Mound Community Center for Mayor of Memphis Paul Young’s town hall.
The Orange Mound community is mourning two lives lost and several lives changed forever after a mass shooting just ten days ago.
At the town hall, Memphians were able to ask city leaders questions and offer suggestions to keep kids out of trouble.
“Young people have such a lack of concern for the lives of others,” Mayor Young said.
Mayor Paul Young said accessibility to activities in the Bluff City has a direct correlation to public safety.
“Activating our community centers,” Mayor Young said. “Community centers like this where we have game rooms where kids can spend their time here. We’ve talked about midnight basketball, which is really just a way to get young people into a space playing sports at later hours during the evening so that they’re occupied with those sports instead of the streets.”
Memphians at Orange Mound’s town hall agreed but said there are more solutions than adding activities to a bulletin board.
“I’m very concerned about crime, but with crime is the wealth gap,” resident Abdul Haqq said. “Because a lot of time these youngsters and their families are dealing with certain situations in the community, so I’m thinking that if we do something with the wealth gap, we might control the crime.”
Memphis Police also confirmed they have 18 persons of interest, though no one has been arrested.
Resident Michelle Miller said the answers are right here in our city.
“It’s about how do we come together and have the intention that we’re going to be about solutions, not just talking about what the problems are.”
Between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2024, Mayor Young has held multiple of these town halls alongside other city leaders.
He’s hopeful these town halls keep Memphians involved in their community and continuously offering solutions to decrease crime in the Bluff City.
The mayor’s next town hall will be May 28 in Raleigh.