By Travis McGee
Houston, we have a problem and that problem is too many lights, cameras, and no action. Press conference a er press conference, march a er march, election after election, townhall after townhall, Imma do speech after Imma do speech, and dead body a er dead body the problem of” CRIME” remains the same. Whether you stay in SouthPark, Sunnyside, Third Ward, Fifth Ward, or in communities like River Oaks crime is up. But the only differences are the demographics, prioritization, resources, and how crimes are actually investigated. It’s a historical fact that crime is expected to happen in certain areas and not others, but the fact of the matter is crime doesn’t have a particular address or color. Public safety has never been prioritized the same in the” HOOD”
Crime should be prioritized the same everywhere and not just in the so-called affluent areas of town. 911 calls should be treated like an emergency call vs being asked nine hundred and eleven questions even before the called is even dispatched out. Since there’s an increase in violent crimes and bodies dropping all over the city, all calls have to be considered priority and a possible emergency at the same time. In order for any of us to start to correct the problem we have to be very transparent when addressing and admitting that we do have a problem. We can start by saying that the crime is up and has been up for some time now.
The response time and police presence have to get better in a more proactive manner. Every o cer should have a route like a mailman, which would lead to proactive community policing vs reactionary policing. All law enforcement should be working together to increase manpower and resources in doing so it only increases the chances of cases actually getting investigated and solved, no matter how big or small. Investigating crimes thoroughly will make the stats more accurate and increase transparency. Our law enforcement has to present the right charges in order for the DA to accept the proper charges to properly prosecute, so the judge and the jury can give the proper sentence, but everyone has to do their part.
The “Catch and Release” and” Hug A Thug” Programs have only made the problem worse when it comes to violent crime. It’s going to take much more than lights and cameras. It’s going to take plenty of action, pro-action that is. Much more than prayer without works, vigils, stop the violent walks and marches, press conferences, and Imma do speeches. We have to raise our kids, keep our schools open, promote trades the same way we do college, increase police presence and response time, and most importantly stop allowing ELECTED employees to use our tragedies as a very unproductive self-promoting platform with zero accountability after the cameras are gone.
