Justin Vicory | Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Sarah Warnock

Shocked and outraged by a slew of homicides in recent days, Jackson City Council members met in special session on Friday with Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and members of his administration.

All council members, with the exception of Kenneth Stokes, were present for what was essentially an information-gathering meeting.

Jackson Police Department Chief James Davis doubled down on the mayor's recent concerns with gun laws, specifically the state's open carry law, which Davis said prevents officers from questioning potential suspects.

"The violent crime in Jackson is guns. We cannot police guns. We will be viewed as a bad cop if we try to," Davis said.

Justin Vicory/Clarion Ledger

Davis acknowledged "a dark cloud on homicides" but said other violent crimes have decreased across the city, including armed robberies, carjackings and business burglaries.

Lumumba, who left the meeting early to meet with Gov. Phil Bryant on crime-reduction efforts, called the city's surge in homicides a "violent disease that is infecting our communities."

The mayor said he alone cannot fix the problem, as the city grapples with its highest homicide rate in more than 20 years and 10 homicides in the first 17 days of the new year.

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"I am insufficient. I am not capable of solving crime by myself. I need the community to help," Lumumba said.

Robert Blaine, the city's chief administrative officer, unveiled a three-part plan that would focus on community policing, conflict resolution and job-training programs.

Blaine called the city's approach a "holistic" one that attempts to get at the root causes of violent crime, such as a lack of educational and economic opportunities.

Part of the plan would locate job-training and employment access centers, as well as STEM centers, which offer science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics instruction, in high-risk areas of the city.

"These aren't just pathway programs, they are pathways with destinations. We believe they will lead to more student engagement and employer interaction," Blaine said.

Details about such a holistic approach, including specifics about funding, have yet to be solidified.

Rukia Lumumba, the mayor's sister, briefed the council on the status of a recently announced Credible Messenger program. The program uses ex-offenders who have turned their lives around and now serve as mentors to at-risk youth. She said it has seen success in decreasing violent crimes in other cities.

The council also discussed the details behind a proposed $5 million from the state for a "real-time crime center" to track and monitor crime.

"This will give us the ability to see where crime is occurring and prevent it," Davis said.

Lumumba had first said the governor was pledging $4 million for the center, but later said it was $5 million. Funding, regardless of the amount, will first have to go through the legislative process, and as of Friday, no bills addressing such funding were in the works.

Councilman De'Keither Stamps took issue with the priority for funding. He said Friday that funding for a center as well as expected federal funding for body cameras is overlooking officers.