The Shreveport City Council wants the mayor to declare a state of emergency in the fight against violent crime. Council members sent that message in a resolution which they all approved, to ask the mayor directly.
While largely symbolic, council members like Grayson Boucher, explain how a declaration of this kind adds a sense of urgency in combatting gun violence. “There may be a little bit more that we can do with some purchasing and things like that,” as Grayson concluded, “because we’re on board now that we’ll be able to push public safety things through a little bit faster.”
The numbers for crime in Shreveport this year are grim. The number of homicides has now reached 73 with nearly 200 shootings in which police responded.
Boucher says he has noticed that it does not matter as much what zip code or neighborhood that you call home in Shreveport because violent gun crime has only expanded to migrated to more locations citywide.
The trouble also goes far beyond street crime. Boucher also points out that Shreveport has seen a surge in deadly episodes of domestic violence this year. “We have so many young ladies and when they’re being killed by domestic violence. We need to start really working on prevention on that.”
And in recent months, Penny Washington confirms that the Shreveport-Bossier area has experienced a 25% increase in domestic violence. Washington is the executive director of Divas Empowerment Resource Center. She says for deaths specifically, this year has seen a 15% jump.
Boucher pointed out that it was fellow council member Tabatha Taylor who introduced the resolution to declare a state of emergency. She represents District A, which includes the area where four people lost their lives, bystanders caught in the crossfire of what became a mass shooting, at what started as a fourth of July party.
