INDIANAPOLIS — Violence can be avoided if community groups are able to patrol in crime-prone areas, said Rev. Charles Harrison, a leader of the Ten Point Coalition in Indy, commenting on Saturday night’s shooting in downtown Indianapolis, that put six people in the hospital.
“A lot of those kids we already know from the neighborhoods, and those kids know that when we’re down there, we’re not gonna tolerate them misbehaving,” said Harrison, who added that Ten Point would be glad to add patrols downtown, if the had the resources.
He compared Saturday’s shooting to an incident where someone was shot during Black Expo.
“We have had a 20-year problem with the downtown area, particularly on Saturday nights,” he said. “I was very troubled to hear that this had happened again and that six people had gotten shot in that area.”
Ten Point has been helping people learn to patrol neighborhoods in different parts of the state, and in some of Indy’s most notorious neighborhoods, and has been able to boast success in cutting down on the homicide rate in some of those neighborhoods.
“Where we have been very effective at this issue is when we have provided resources for community groups to be down there to patrol, particularly around the Steak ‘n Shake and the mall and the canal.”
He said drifting from those community group patrols has allowed violence to make a comeback.
“We have been fortunate that no one has been killed over the years. But, if we don’t address it, someone is going to be killed. So, let’s do what we know works. Let’s give resources to community groups to go down there and patrol.”
(PHOTO: WISH-TV)
