If you go to a restaurant and see a kid there, you’re probably not expecting anyone to come up and kill them.
However, that is exactly what happened earlier this week when 14-year-old Anthony Lee Hughes Jr. was shot and killed at a Popeyes on 16th Street. As Hughes walked out of the restaurant, someone emerged from a car and fired a fatal shot at his chest. Police arrived within one minute and performed CPR on Hughes as horrified patrons watched. Sadly, Hughes’ life had already come to a quick and tragic end.
We are talking about someone who could have one day been an NBA star, a Fortune 500 CEO or a governor.
I’m not trying to bring us down with bad news in this week’s column. I just want us to remember that while Donald Trump steals headlines in Washington, we have issues of urgent concern right here at home, especially this seemingly endless cycle of violence.
Earlier that same day, a person was critically injured after being shot during a road-rage incident on Fall Creek Parkway. On the same afternoon, 19-year-old Eric Imani Jordan was found shot at an apartment complex near 30th and Mitthoeffer Road. He later died at Eskenazi Health.
During the weekend, a man was shot and killed after a large fight broke out near a nightclub downtown.
Once again, area community leaders and police joined forces to speak out against the violence. During a press conference, they called for peace on the streets.
“We have to stop talking about what needs to be done and start doing,” said Rev. Ronald Covington, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, which is near the site of the Hughes shooting.
Church leaders, community activists and police have called for cooperation to stop violence on several occasions. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like enough people are listening, because the problem persists.
What will it take for more of us in Indianapolis to realize we have a crisis on our hands? That we are in a situation that can be legitimately described as a state of emergency?
With more than 852,000 residents, Indianapolis is the second largest city in the Midwest after Chicago. Since it is a large city, one would expect occasional acts of violent crime to occur. However, many of us remember the days when it wasn’t so frequent — and those days weren’t that long ago.
The incidents I wrote about in this column occurred in a span of only three days. We could fill an entire section of this paper listing local acts of violence that have occurred within the past month.
Unfortunately, some people are not motivated to deal with an issue until it affects us or someone we love. When we see news of shootings on television, it is easy for some of us to just turn the station. When we read about grieving families of homicide victims in the newspaper, some people just the turn page. When we hear the topic discussed in conversation, it is easy to just change the subject.
We no longer have that luxury.
For those of us who have been blessed to not know the pain of losing someone to violence, let’s not wait until the angel of death visits our doorstep to do something about it. We don’t have to wait until the summer, when homicide rates are the highest, to mobilize. We can fight violence proactively right now.
We can do that by taking a more active role in our neighborhoods. If we see young people who do not have a positive role model, we can step up and be a positive influence on them. We can enroll them in programs that will help them discover their gifts and talents.
If we know someone who is unemployed or genuinely trying to turn their life around after serving time, we can help them find a job so they are not tempted by the so-called “fast money” of crime.
Crime watch groups can be formed that enable residents to work with police in their neighborhoods to be on the lookout for suspicious and unusual activity.
I’m not a psychology expert, but I would think that a person is less likely to commit a crime and more likely to make positive choices when they know there is someone who cares whether they succeed or fail, live or die.
Deputy Mayor David Hampton, who is also pastor of Light of the World Christian Church, presented a wonderful idea during the press conference when he called for churches to “adopt” the block they are on by providing positive activities and outreach programs for residents in the area.
Neighborhood development and revitalization efforts will also play a key role in reducing violent crime. This week, for example, the City-County Council was presented with a mass transit plan that would expand bus service to more residents in the city. It would be wise for city and state leaders to work together to discover the best way to make transportation more available to residents who need access to good-paying jobs.
Mayor Joe Hogsett has presented fresh ideas on how to address the root causes of some crimes, and he recently appointed a new police chief, Bryan Roach, who shares those innovative goals. Community groups continue to take a direct role in combating crime by reaching out to troubled youth and residents.
However, none of these people and organizations can keep Indianapolis safe by themselves, nor should they. This is an effort that will take all of us, and I am ready to do my part. One person may not be able to save every life, but they can have a positive impact on every life they come across.
By most historical accounts, Indianapolis has always been a beautiful city, and within the past couple of generations it has become a first-class city in many ways. We don’t have to accept random violence as a way of life here. We are far better than that.
