Less than 24 hours after the shooting death of 15-year-old Wingfield High School student Destinee Ford, Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber got behind a podium at City Hall to announce his new faith-based initiative, Jackson’s Faith-Based Alignment Against Crime.
Flanked by pastors, ministers and religious leaders, Yarber, whose children attend Wilkins Elementary on the same block as Ford’s murder, said the religious community has failed and called on others to join him in what he called a “push back” against crime in Jackson.
“Quite frankly, I think those of us that are here today understand that her death is not the beginning of anything,” Yarber said. “It needs to be the end of things. We are here as a faith-based community of different faiths, different religions, who understand that it is absolutely the job of the faith-based community to take back the streets that have been lost to crime and to senseless gun violence.”
Ford, the 51st murder victim this year in Jackson, died from a gunshot wound after a fight broke out at the intersection of Castle Hill Drive and Anna Lisa Lane, less than a block from both Wilkins Elementary and Wingfield High School. The shooting occurred around 4 p.m., just after school was dismissed, police said.
Friday morning, the Jackson Police Department announced it had arrested 17-year-old Dennis Picket and 18-year-old Demonte Finch and charged both with murder.
Yarber’s new collective body, which he made clear was not an organization (he called it an “organism”), announced initiatives it is taking up in the next couple of weeks.
The first, he said, is a training event planned for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 at Relevant Empowerment Church to train for a “social evangelism event,” planned for Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon at New Horizon Church. At that event, Yarber hopes to put 1,000 people on the street to canvas neighborhoods they plan to target based on crime numbers.
Yarber said he wants churches to network and share ideas and programs they are offering. Abram Muhammad, a minister with the Southern Region of the Nation of Islam (Muhammad Mosque No. 78), said he had assigned his best Internet technician to build an online forum where preachers and ministers of different faiths could open the lines of communication, share ideas and organize events to show solidarity against crime.
“We are under the belief that we cannot ask those in the street to stop their gang-banging until we stop the spiritual gang-banging that we have been doing,” Muhammad said. “Once we stop the spiritual gang-banging, we can be a mirror, or at least a model, to show others that no matter what your belief, no matter what walk of life you come from, we can all come together and bring our community back to what it used to be.”
JFP crime records show that, while property crime is down 12.2 percent overall, the city has experienced a slight uptick in violent crime from 2012 to 2013. Murder is down from 57 in 2012 to 51 in 2013, year-to-date, but armed robbery and carjacking are both up, 12.5 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively.
For more information on Jackson’s Faith-Based Alliance Against Crime, call 769- 257-8382. Email City Reporter Tyler Cleveland at tyler@jacksonfreepress.com.
Previous Comments
I wish Mr Yarber every possible blessing in his endeavor. It is WELL past time for churches to STOP building palaces to the ministers & congregants and start doing the spiritual work of GOD – T O G E T H E R !!!! The Black church has failed miserably to provide the example, the hope, & the vision for the struggling least of us in our communities. Our children are killing each other because of a lack of Hope and exclusion. Our elderly are hungry, lacking medical & mental care, vulnerable to crime in their own homes, homeless, WHILE churches, take care of their congregants and hand out turkey’s once a year, they cover their eyes to the devastation going on around them. They take every. every opportunity to hit your members up for a building fund or love offering. Someone needs to be heroes for these fatherless or. Motherless children. Instead of going to church every Sunday, let every member of every Black church mentor a child in their community get pooling their resources. BE HEROES and take your communities back. STAND STRONG IN CHRIST AND GIVE “ALL” of our children a reason to hope!!!
#4804 | Author: sarahmina | Date: Dec 7 2013
If the church wants to tell their flock to go do work for the good of the community- that’s great. If the underlying goal of said work is to promote certain faiths and churches then I’ll pass on that fake charity. I haven’t decided what is going on yet. I know plenty of the people who are involved in this are well known self promoters gaming to have the next mega church. I know Tony Yarber announced this idea on Facebook weeks ago so he clearly just used this girls death as an opportunity to announce it. Crime isn’t happening because of a lack of Jesus or one simple reason. There are multiple reasons. How about asking our GOVERNMENT to get their stuff together. Like some of our city council members who have been around as long as I’ve been alive and nothing has changed. Yes we have new people and maybe things will get better. Here’s a news flash- not everyone in Jackson is religious or wants to be. I know this is the south and that’s hard for people to believe but it’s true. Is there a place in this for them-probably not-unless they want to jump on the Christian band wagon. What Jackson needs to do is not the work of GOD but what is good for HUMANITY which should be inline with your GOD. Your God doesn’t always have to be the center of secular life.
#4807 | Author: multiculturegirl37 | Date: Dec 7 2013
You both make strong points. I remember that last month’s Mississippi Black Leadership Summit had a clergy track that centered on creating exactly these kinds of multichurch coalitions, which can be very effective if there are constructive action steps and a strong community buy-in.
#4809 | Author: tomhead1978 | Date: Dec 8 2013
I pray that this effort will gain momentum and make a difference James Meredith provided a detailed frame work for faith based intervention in our communities in his latest book. His strategy included churches taking an added interest in the community surrounding their facility by visiting each and every home to build a knowledge of the conditions and needs of their community on an individual by individual basis. Seems Jesus had the same suggestion. The theory behind Christianity is not everyone needs to be a Christian in order for Christians to do their work. Christians are supposed to be the light in the darkness attracting new followers as others see the value and hope of Jesus’ message as seen in the work, live and example of Christians.
#4965 | Author: FrankMickens | Date: Dec 16 2013
