After officials from the City of Hattiesburg have taken measures to temporarily close certain establishments over the years – such as the Top 5 Bar & Grill, Nostalgia Lounge & Bar and the Hunt Club – to curb shootings and other acts of violence, Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado is wondering why those same actions haven’t been taken when shootings occur in residential areas.
Delgado addressed the issue during a July 5 work session of Hattiesburg City Council, where she said if a shooting is business-related, immediate steps are taken, but if a shooting happens in a neighborhood, similar measures are not adopted.
“(In the case of neighborhood shootings), we go back to traditional policing, and that has not worked,” Delgado said. “So I thought I’d remind (other council members) that there are tools that we have to deal with shootings done in communities that we’re not dealing with.”
One measure Delgado recommended is the seizure of property, if that site is declared a nuisance because of violent incidents.
“If a property is a nuisance, even if it’s owned by a private individual, (we can take that action),” she said. “Or if it’s a property that is leased out – maybe apartments or rental units – and the occupants of those units continue to create a dangerous situation in that community, then those properties can be subject to be confiscated or seized to prevent that kind of behavior from occurring again.”
That would be allowed by Section 21-19-20 of the Mississippi Code, which deals with “proceedings to demolish or seize abandoned houses or buildings used for sale or use of drugs or constituting public hazard or nuisance; authority to sell, transfer, convey or use abandoned houses or buildings for suitable municipal purposes.”
Late last year, several residents showed up to a council meeting to express their displeasure with a number of shootings in and near downtown Hattiesburg, including four on Mable Street in the previous six months and one on West 5th Street that left two people dead. Resident Raylawni Branch said violent acts are capable of stifling development in the city, and resident Eric Boney said bullets from one of the shootings came into his home, narrowly missing him and his wife.
Delgado also mentioned a shooting that took place on July 9 on Edwards Street.
“I have constantly asked the city to explore other ways of preventing young people from going down the path of crime, leading to shooting and other activities,” Delgado said. “But we never embrace doing anything (other than) hiring more police officers – from the time this city was organized, that’s what we’ve done.
“We’ve not done other things; we’ve not explored looking at how people get into these lifestyles. How is it that we developed a culture of shooting and not being able to manage conflict and that kind of thing? If private organizations and church groups are not going to engage in, or embrace, activities that can do that, then as a city we have a responsibility to try to make that happen.”
Delgado had previously pointed out the fact that other cities around the nation have implemented alternative policing methods in addition to traditional methods, including training and resources. For example, cities such as Charlotte, North Carolina have engaged in Violence Intervention Programs to help combat such incidents.
Mayor Toby Barker asked Delgado if she is advocating for measures such as additional police patrols, crime cameras such as Project NOLA and roadblocks in high-crime areas in the city. Delgado said she is in favor of those initiatives, as long as they are done in a reasonable manner and adhere to individuals’ civil rights, except for crime cameras – which she said are shown to solve crimes but not prevent them.
“(The council and administration) seem to be receptive to (my suggestions) for a change,” Delgado said. “They’re telling me to send them stuff, but I’ve been sending them stuff for years.
“When I go to conferences … I come back and tell them about programs that are going on in other cities, so I’m going to resend them what I’ve sent before. I’m hopeful (they will get on board); I’m going to continue to bring it up.”
