Members of the Greenwood City Council expressed concerns Tuesday about the danger of shooting guns into the air to welcome the new year.
Police Chief Terrence Craft told the council there were numerous reported incidents of gunfire on the evening of New Year’s Eve, although he didn’t think it was as bad as the previous year.
“We had shooting as normal as we do every New Year’s,” he said. “The plus side that I got out of the whole thing, we didn’t have anyone get hurt New Year’s night, so that was a blessing.”
Council members discussed what could be done about it.
“It’s almost like to me it’s a culture thing, and it’s going to get worse and worse if we don’t do something to stop it,” said Council President Ronnie Stevenson. “People feel like they have a right to shoot on New Year’s, and we have to get (into) their mind that you don’t have a right.”
Ward 2’s Lisa Cookston said she heard gunfire from her home beginning at 7 p.m. Ward 1’s Johnny Jennings said he heard shooting well into the morning of New Year’s Day.
Craft said it is difficult to identify perpetrators due to the sheer number of shots fired.
“At (midnight), you’re going to have hundreds of people shooting exactly at the same time, mostly in the backyard, things of that nature,” he said. “The neighbors, you’re not going to get a person to sign an affidavit out of fear and things of that nature. They can press charges against the person if they see them doing it, but very seldom (do they) do that.”
He said that there were more than 30 calls about gunfire and speculated people may not report because they have accepted it as something that comes with the new year.
When Stevenson asked if shell casings near a home can be used as evidence, Craft said it must be proven that a person fired the gun.
Jennings expressed concern about someone being injured.
“People don’t realize, it is going to happen,” he said. “Eventually somebody is going to get hurt. It’s in their hands to come to some kind of common sense. Shoot it in the ground. Don’t shoot it in the air.
“People in town are scared, and they have a fear about it. It’s dangerous.”
Also Tuesday, Susan Bailey, public works director, said garbage trucks are catching up on their routes, though one of her four drivers is out with COVID-19.
Jennings took the opportunity to speak out about garbage and littering on the streets of his ward.
“You go down these streets, it looks like some Middle Eastern bombed-out town,” he said. “That’s got to stop. The only reason the problem exists is to be solved, and then it’s not a problem anymore. We’re supposed to be in the solving business.”
He said he had received more than 15 phone calls and more than 200 messages from concerned constituents.
Ward 4’s Charles McCoy reminded Jennings that he can always call Bailey if there is a pressing issue. “I call her all the time, right or wrong, about certain things that are going on,” McCoy said. “Or you can call the mayor about things going on if they’re urgent.”
Dia Chawla, the 2021 female recipient of the national High School Heisman award, appeared before the Greenwood City Council Tuesday to receive a key to the city.(By Kevin Edwards)
In other business:
- Dia Chawla, the 2021 female recipient of the national High School Heisman award, was presented with a key to the city by a proclamation of Mayor Carolyn McAdams.
Chawla, 18, is a senior at Pillow Academy. Her older brother, Sunjay, was the male recipient of the Heisman in 2018.
“I’m obviously very proud of myself, and I see this as a pretty big personal achievement, but it wouldn’t have been possible without my family, of course, my friends, my community at Pillow Academy and my community in Greenwood, and to that I say thank you,” she said.
- The council approved a budget transfer of $6,271 from the mayor’s contingency fund to the Parks Department.
- The council entered into executive session to discuss an undisclosed business prospect with Angela Curry, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore Industrial Board. No action was taken during the session.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
