Fake friends believe in rumors. Real friends believe in you.
Anonymous
This article contains fact, rumor and opinion.
Some of the Clarksdale Police Department a year ago.
Former Clarksdale mayor Bill Luckett says there were 42 officers on the City Police force when he left office. ClarksdaleNews has heard there were as many as 52 officers at one point, and the number of officers was in the high 40’s when the administration changed hands. Let’s use the former mayor’s number.
Chief Sandra Williams reports there are now 33 officers on the force, which represents a decline of 9 officers. She has also reported that 3 new officers may join the force soon. In any event, this represents a decline of 21% in our force since July 2017.
WROX Radio Station says their experience is the size of the police force is a “fluid” number, which means that it fluctuates regularly. More importantly, though, than actual numbers is effectiveness.
ClarksdaleNews should disclose that it knows Sandra Williams, has worked on one project with her, and has been impressed. Perhaps it is her decades-long military background, but in any event that positive impression is truthful.
The Clarksdale Press Register reports in social media that there have been 6 shootings in Clarksdale over the past 50 hours, one of which has been fatal. There is much comment on this throughout social media, and rumor and questions have certainly spread.
Is Chief Williams getting the help she needs? That’s one question, or is she part of the problem? That’s another that’s spinning the rumor mill. More rumor is about leadership and the mayor. The City Commissioners are pretty much outside of this particular gossip mix right now (they come within and they go), but rumor is usually caused by something. Nevertheless, what all this scuttlebutt comes down to is flying bullets and public uncertainty. It exists!
If ClarksdaleNews had a magic wand, all this would be fixed, of course, and it’s our belief that Chief Williams, and all of our City officials are doing their best to get a handle on this too.
Knowing answers to these questions would helpful:
- What is the City doing exactly to help Chief Williams stop this violent outbreak right now? (Is a police corruption crusade helping, or adding to the problem?)
- Exactly when are more policemen coming, and how would this help stop the violence? (or, can other law enforcement help be brought in?)
- Exactly when can we look forward to the mayor claiming that the police force is NOT corrupt?
- What new things is the City doing to address poverty, and will that work? (trumpeting future job possibilities from distant projects, real or imagined, is not helping us now).
- What can we do right now to increase public safety?
- What can all of us do to increase public confidence?
- Is this the Clarksdale we want, or not?
- If this is not the Clarksdale you want, do you realize that standing up and speaking out is what causes positive change? (Think Boston Tea Party…, and then some.)
One can not mount a persuasive argument that our country is particularly stable right now. That has to do with leadership (from any direction one might choose). Our community isn’t showing much stability either. Is this a sign of the times?
What in the hell is going on in City Hall?
(and oh yeah, it’s snowing outside…, and it’s only November)
