MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The newly-formed Black Mayors Coalition on Crime met for the first time this week. The organization aims to shape a new approach to fighting crime nationwide.
“We have mayors representing 18 cities and 8.3 million people. They came together to address one of our most pressing national issues,” Mayor Paul Young said. “We are solidified and resolved in the fact that we are stronger together.”
The coalition aims to find out what crime reduction efforts have worked in other cities around the country.
Those kinds of solutions are especially important in Memphis, where a new homicide record has been set three of the last four years. The city is already on track to set a new record in 202.
“This meeting will not be one of those academic exercises,” Young said. “This meeting is intended to be the beginning of actual change.”
City leaders from LA to DC headed to the Hyatt on Beale Street at Young’s request.
Some of the solutions that have worked in other places include a $19 minimum wage in Durham, NC, targeted neighborhood investments in Jackson, MS and a stolen car police task force in Charlotte.
“There is a need for us to be practical and pragmatic,” Young said. “To find a balance between philosophy and what is right.”
According to Young, there are more Black mayors leading US cities than at any other time in history. He hopes they can lead the search for solutions to the crimes that victimize the communities they represent.
“We were intentional about having a dialogue about an issue that has a significant impact on the Black community. That’s just a fact,” he said. “We thought it was important for Black mayors to lead the dialogue.”
Young said he has been planning the coalition since before he took office. Less than three months into his term, it is a reality.
“History doesn’t always feel like history when you’re sitting in it,” Young said. “It just feels like a normal day. But I want to say that today feels historic.”
Now, Young’s focus is on figuring out which of those solutions can be applied here in Memphis.
He said a date for the next meeting has not yet been set, but it will likely be virtual. The coalition is currently made up of the following members, but more are invited to join:
Paul Young, Mayor – Memphis, TN
Brian Williams, Deputy Mayor, Public Safety – Los Angeles, CA
Karren Lane, Deputy Mayor, Community Safety – Los Angeles,
Kendra Pruitt, Chief of Staff – Little Rock
Lisa Y. Benjamin, Chief Operating Officer – Atlanta, GA
Tishaura Jones, Mayor – St. Louis, MO
Mitch Colvin, Mayor – Fayetteville, NC
Eddie Melton, Mayor – Gary, IN
Jaylen Smith, Mayor – Earle, AR
Julian McTizic Mayor – Bolivar, TN
William Rawls Jr., Mayor – Brownsville, Tn
Anne E. Kirkpatrick, Superintendent – New Orleans, LA
Leonardo Williams, Mayor - Durham, NC
Courtney Welch, Mayor – Emeryville, CA
Beverly H. Burks, Mayor – Clarkston, GA
Lindsay Appiah, Deputy Mayor – Washington, DC
Torri Tellis, Major – Charlotte, NC
Warith Muhammad, Lieutenant – Charlotte, NC
Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Mayor – Jackson, MS
Lee Harris, Mayor – Shelby County, TN
Corey Woods, Mayor - Tempe, AZ
