Mayor Greg Ballard and his administration are always bragging how well respected he is by other big city mayors.
So I’m puzzled why Ballard hasn’t called some of his big city mayor buddies to get help in dealing with Indy’s plague of rising violence.
For example, two years ago Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu created an effort through the National League of Cities (NLC) called Cities United to “address America’s violence epidemic by specifically target(ing) the plight of African-American males who are the victims of violence.”
Cities United helps mayors “focus on (crime) prevention rather than prosecution, intervention rather than incarceration.” The cities participating get resources, assistance, learn best practices and share ideas in grappling and dealing with urban violence.
NLC officials wouldn’t confirm or deny if Indianapolis is part of Cities United. I suspect that Indianapolis isn’t yet participating.
Meanwhile in America’s 20th largest city – Memphis – Mayor A.C. Wharton is dealing with their surging Black-on-Black violence with a multi-faceted community effort called Memphis Gun Down.
It’s a five-prong program that includes “placing a laser focus of law enforcement efforts on (those) who are committing gun violence.” The Memphis community is mobilized “by pulling together young people, residents and law enforcement (toward) accepting a culture where gun violence isn’t tolerated.”
Memphis’ plan includes creating job opportunities and improving the education and job readiness skills of Memphis’ young people.
Memphis’ plan creates “a coordinated approach to intervening at the first sign of potential violence in the streets, schools and hospitals.” And gets the city to pull together to reduce youth violence.
Indianapolis is slowly doing some of the law enforcement aspects of Memphis’ plan, but Indy’s ignored Memphis’ equal emphasis on jobs and community engagement.
Interviewed live the Monday of Black Expo week on WTLC-AM (1310’s) “Afternoons with Amos,” Memphis Mayor Wharton emphasized that any plan to deal with the problem of youth violence must be “comprehensive, yet flexible.”
Part of Memphis’ strategy involves providing positive activities in the evenings for Memphis youth, like keeping city swimming pools open at night, and working with the NBA Memphis Grizzlies, creating midnight basketball tourneys. (Are you listening Pacers and Fever?)
Initiatives Indianapolis has stubbornly refused to consider.
It’s odd that Mayor Ballard will quickly launch projects on electric cars, unneeded bike lanes, cricket fields and subsidized developments for his campaign contributors, while doing absolutely nothing to find creative solutions to reducing violence.
Efforts like Cities United, Memphis Gun Down and programs in places like Minneapolis are bringing down Black-on-Black violence. Our self proclaimed “most African-American friendly mayor in the history of Indianapolis” needs to pick up the phone or email his mayor buddies and ask for help to reduce Indy’s surging violence.
What I’m hearing
in the streets
Former governor and now Purdue President Mitch Daniels is being rightly blasted for his attempt, to ban a history textbook written by Dr. Howard Zinn, a progressive, somewhat radical professor who was a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the civil rights era.
Zinn, who’s white, was a longtime professor at Boston University, a distinguished historian, professor, civil rights, human rights, antiwar activist. He even taught eight years at Spelman College until fired for his civil rights activism.
Imagine my surprise when a reporter told me he’d found my name in one of Daniels’ e-mails.
Seems then Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett’s Chief of Staff Todd Huston thought it would be interesting to appoint me to the Indiana Education Roundtable saying it would “keep a loud mouth in check,” says the Associated Press which uncovered and published the emails.
I actually laughed when I read the email since my service on the roundtable hasn’t caused me to temper my education views, there or elsewhere.
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Last Friday, Indiana University suddenly replaced Dr. Edwin Marshall as vice president for diversity, equity and multiculturalism, immediately replacing him with Graduate School Dean James Wimbush.
Faculty and student protestors at IU last April vehemently criticized Marshall for what they perceived to be IU’s lack of seriousness about improving racial diversity in Bloomington and other IU campuses, for not creating programs that would increase minorities at IU and improve the quality of programs and services to meet their needs.
Meanwhile, IU showed its sharp disdain for Indiana’s African-American community with an arrogant and insensitive visit to Black Expo by President Michael McRobbie.
McRobbie attended Expo’s corporate luncheon and toured IU’s Expo exhibit. Unfortunately, IU’s PR staff pointedly didn’t let Black media covering Expo know that McRobbie would visit.
Accompanied by university PR mavens, McRobbie walked to within 50 feet of our WTLC Broadcast booth, located adjacent to IU’s Expo booth, while we were live on the air, and refused to make McRobbie or any other IU official available.
When our state’s top university displays elite, callous indifference toward institutions in Indiana’s African-American community, IU shows it really doesn’t care about diversity.
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I’m still positively reeling from the news.
For the second time in six years, I’m privileged to be a finalist for a Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Each year, NAB honors the best radio stations and on-air broadcasters in America. The Marconi Award is the Oscar or Emmy of radio.
WTLC-FM is also a finalist for Urban Radio Station of the Year.
The staff at WTLC-FM and I are thrilled and honored at the recognition and share it with our greater African-American community, because without you we wouldn’t have the privilege.
This week’s column marks the end of year 19. Next week, Just Tellin’ It embarks on a unique journey. We begin our 20th year in this space. Don’t miss it.
See ‘ya next week.
You can email comments to Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
