MEMPHIS, Tenn — It was a violent weekend in Memphis as three people were shot and killed. The violence has prompted the Memphis Police Association to address the record number of homicides for the month of July.
In the month of July alone, there were 43 homicides which far surpassed the highest record of 29 in a single month.
Mike Williams, the president of the Memphis Police Association, said even if the crime doesn't happen in your backyard, you still need to be concerned. He hopes this year will not break the 2016 record of homicides which surpassed more than 200.
"Crime is mobile, so therefore everybody is being affected," Williams said. "You may look at the homicide numbers when you had 43 homicides, which is the highest number per month in the history of the city of Memphis."
He said crime is not stagnant in the neighborhoods it usually plagues and it's spreading to other zip codes. In 2020 alone, it has affected communities in north, east, and south Memphis.
"We can no longer turn a blind eye and say that this is relegated to the inner city and blighted areas," Williams said.
As a native of a north Memphis, Williams had to deal with crime at an early age and said the only way it was stopped was when people came forward with information. He said stopping crime is something we need to collectively work at.
"When it’s a lot of crime that’s being perpetrated and you have individuals that it almost seems like they want to defend the individuals who are actually committing the crime," Williams said.
For those communities who believe they are never affected, you might want to think twice as this is affecting the entire county and city. Williams said solving this problem is also an issue we need to prioritize when electing our city and county leaders.
"It may not be in your community but you need to come into the rest of the city and we have to get with our politicians and make sure they are leveraging assets to be able to protect everybody in this city," Williams said.