As a national study languishes, Jackson looks to understand gun violence

Justin Vicory | Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Show Caption Hide Caption Mayor talks tough on crime Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance gave a joint press conference Tuesday that focused on recent crime in the city.

With Congress for years hamstringing a national study to examine gun violence in this country, Mississippi's largest city will now attempt to understand the root cause of the epidemic that has led to a rising tide of shooting deaths in Jackson.

The City Council has unanimously voted to approve an agreement between Jackson State University and the Jackson Police Department to study the impact of gun-related crime on the quality of life in the community.

The council made the announcement at a July 17 meeting, shortly after gun violence victims and a crime prevention advocate took to the podium to express their dismay at a surge in homicides across the city.

“I need somebody to get in this fight to stop this killing,” Larry Nelson Sr., an advocate for victims of violent crimes, told the council.

The study will allow JPD to target the "at-risk population" before crimes are committed and "disseminate best practice for prevention and suppression of delinquent behaviors in order to thwart unlawful activities," according to the memorandum of understanding.

The study, which comes at no cost to the city, also requires the placement of JSU graduate and undergraduate students within JPD to provide analytical resources and support research activities. JPD agrees to provide "mutually agreed upon" crime data and research to JSU, before issuing a joint report.

"The purpose is to use academic-based research and methodology to help improve crime analysis," said Kevin Lavine, JSU professor of criminal justice.

Lavine, also a 28-year veteran of JPD, said budget cuts eliminated the department's crime analysis unit in the 1990s, which allowed the department to do its own research on crime in the city. The agreement between JPD and JSU will help restore that ability.

The two parties plan to use crime-mapping software that considers several crime details, such as age, dates, geography and even social media usage.

"This helps you with responsive policing and being more proactive. It gives you an almost real-time ability to know where to commit resources," Lavine said.

Unsurprisingly, most homicides in the city are the result of gun violence, although a specific number is unavailable since JPD hasn't released updated crime statistics since November 2017. Sgt. Roderick Holmes said he believes the person who normally compiles the report may have left the department.

However, the public record reveals there have been 58 homicides in Jackson since the year began, an average of about nine homicides a month. At that rate, the city could see close to 100 homicides by the end of the year.

There were 61 homicides in 2017, compared with 68 homicides in 2016 and 58 in 2015.

The latest gun-related homicide occurred July 19, when 50-year-old Angelo Taylor was gunned down while mowing his lawn in the 3800 block of Northview Drive, JPD said.

A national study has languished for years

Part of the significance of the Jackson study is that Congress has limited the ability of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from studying gun violence at the national level since 1996. Although the government-funded agency tracks gun violence statistics, it has been unable to research the underlying causes of gun violence because of a lack of funding.

An amendment to the annual appropriations bill for the CDC stipulated that “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the (agency) may be used to advocate or promote gun control.” This has appeared in every CDC spending bill thereafter, according to the Washington Post.

Critics say an NRA-influenced Congress is fearful of the possible conclusions that might be reached if the CDC were allowed to go through with the study, such as the possibility that gun control might be effective.

Mississippi ranked fourth in the total number of gun deaths in 2016, according to a study by the Violence Policy Center, a national organization that looks at gun violence. The study showed that of every 100,000 people in Mississippi, 20 are killed by firearms. That includes suicide, homicide and unintentional shootings.

The center's analysis concluded states with higher rates of gun ownership and weak gun violence prevention laws had the highest overall gun death rates in the nation. In addition, states with the lowest overall gun death rates had lower rates of gun ownership and some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation.

Permanent JPD chief in limbo

In his first address on crime in the city, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said he planned to be "tough, tough, tough on crime," but he has laid out few specifics since.

The mayor recently appointed James Davis as interim police chief as the administration continues the search for a full-time top cop. Davis replaces former interim chief Anthony Moore, whose service as chief was put to an end just days before the allowable 180-day interim period concluded.

Lumumba has held out on naming his pick for a permanent police chief longer than he has any other official in his administration. He said that with the selection of Davis as a second interim chief, he was being deliberative and continues to undergo a nationwide search.

The mayor's June 28 selection of Davis came on the same day a dead body was found between City Hall and the Richard J. Porter Building, where the city's administrative staff works, and just yards away from where the mayor made the announcement.

Davis has signaled his intent to steer JPD to more community-focused policing as the department's interim chief.

"I want to build the community. I want to get the city's apartment complexes, its churches and businesses taking a role in addressing crime issues. I want to talk to the kid on the corner. I want to talk to Mrs. Jackson," Davis said.

Homicide rate surging

The council authorization on the gun violence study came after several Jackson residents — whose family members have been victims of violent crime — pleaded for help.

Tanisha Lewis, the mother of Tunoris Lewis, who was shot multiple times in south Jackson in November 2016, stood by Nelson as he addressed the council. So did Theresa Smith Summers, the mother of Ricky Smith Jr., who was shot down Oct. 17, 2013, during a dice game at the Southdown Arms Apartments on Raymond Road.

"He had two daughters," Summers said of her son.

"I have to do for them. I have to speak to them about what happened to their dad and why," she said.

Lewis' death, which occurred on Nov. 18, marked the city's 58th homicide in 2016. The homicide rate this year matches that number with about five and half months remaining in the year.

"I'm speaking on behalf of the people on this sheet," Nelson said to city officials, waving in the air a frequently updated list of victims.

"It's your responsibility to handle the situation. This is sick."