An impassioned City-County President Maggie Lewis and leaders of the Ten Point Coalition and other concerned Pastors spoke out passionately on Afternoons with Amos about the growing level of murders in the city and the issue of youth crime and irresponsibility and lack of parental involvement. President Lewis strongly blasted Mayor Greg Ballard’s confusing plan to add more police officers on the street. Mayor Greg Ballard announced that some 116 IMPD officers would be placed away from “desk duty” to street patrols. With another 40 additional officers moving back to the street by the end of the year. Another 100 new recruits would be added to the force by 2016. But Lewis blasted the Mayor’s proposal as a shell game. Stating that with some 40/50 officers leaving the department each year through attrition and retirement, those 100 new police officers wouldn’t offset those officers leaving between now and 2016. Lewis was also concerned that many of the officers supposedly assigned to the streets are already patrolling neighborhoods as “Neighborhood Resource Officers”. And that the Mayor’s plan would kill community policing. Lewis blasted the Mayor’s lack of leadership and insisted it was time for him to take bolder action for the rising crime wave and youth problems. President Lewis also said she wasn’t opposed to providing mo funds for faith based groups like Ten Point Coalition to work to prevent crime. Ten Point leaders held a press conference urging the Council to take action to provide funding. Lewis responded that the Mayor could provide funds for the groups out of existing funds “immediately”. Or a Council Member could introduce an ordinance to do that. Meanwhile officials of Ten Point Coalition and a group of ministers appeared on Afternoons with Amos in a wide ranging discussion of the problems of rising murders and e getting youth positively engaged in the community. Amos spoke with Rev. Charles Ellis and Horatio Luster of Ten Point Coalition and Pastors Wayne Moore, Ronald Covington, Mel Jackson and James Jackson with a consortium of churches that have raised funds to put young people to work, right now, this summer cleaning up area neighborhoods. The ministers engaged with Amos and listeners in a wide ranging discussion of the growing violence and youth problems and how Indianapolis could solve them. Click the Arrow to Hear Council President Lewis’ Interview With Amos. Runs 27 Minutes Click Arrow to Hear Amos’ Interview with Ten Point Coalition and Pastors. Runs 51 Minutes ©2013 WTLC/Radio One.
Trending
