Local leaders should be careful to not fall into the trap of fighting lawlessness with lawlessness.
Elected and police officials at the county and municipal levels have seemed at a loss recently when it comes to forming a cohesive plan to fight violent crime and unlawful gatherings.
Citizens are demanding action, and they should, but leaders should not take shortcuts that border, or worse, on violating Constitutional rights.
During this past Monday’s meeting of the board of supervisors, board members quizzed Chancery Judge Debra Giles about her role in helping to curtail youth crime in the community.
Giles reminded the board that youths who commit serious crimes that carry life sentences or potentially the death penalty are remanded to the circuit court, as are crimes committed by 18-year-old teenagers.
At one point, a board member suggested doing sweeps across the city, raiding houses and taking high-powered weapons away from alleged youth offenders.
It was also suggested that local law enforcement enact an aggressive “stop and frisk” policy for suspicious individuals.
These are very gray legal areas, and the county, as well as area law enforcement, should be cautious when enacting these policies.
A board member suggested that a person walking down the street with a hooded sweatshirt and a backpack on in 90-degree weather is inviting a stop and frisk measure. It is assumed, he suggested, that the person is carrying a weapon in the backpack.
Citizens want law enforcement to be more aggressive in fighting crime, and we could not agree more, but they still have to follow the Constitution and guard against unlawful searches.
Walking down the street with a sweatshirt and a backpack in the summertime is unusual, but it is not a crime.
Also during Monday’s meeting, the board unanimously squashed a “rap concert” that is currently being marketed for August 3 at the Delta Advantage Center property in Moorhead.
Organizers had filed for a permit for the event, but they may have jumped the gun by starting their promotion a little early.
The board not only said no to that event, but they seem prepared to ban rap concerts of any type in the county.
The more specific language will likely focus on vulgar music and crowd control, but this is another gray area for the county.
It’s one thing to note that Sunflower County’s municipal law enforcement agencies are likely not prepared for the crowds these events could bring in, but it’s another to suggest that crowds for rap concerts should somehow be held to a higher standard than other musical performers.
“Rap concerts bring in a different crowd than a Blues concert,” District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald said.
The projected crowd for the event in question is said to be around 3,500.
The event promoter is currently selling tickets at $15 each.
If the promoter is able to sell 3,500 tickets at $15 each, perhaps the county should look at hiring this outfit to promote some of our more poorly-attended local events.
We’re being facetious, of course, but the county does need to tread more lightly when it comes to policing policies and when it comes to handpicking the entertainment winners and losers here.
We’ve said it before. We need a plan on crime, but burning the Bill of Rights to achieve our ends is not a plan.
