by Dawn Fleming
Special to the Tri-State Defender

Mayor A.C. Wharton Jr. is getting down to basics, which includes going into the neighborhoods to face the people who ask tough questions and seek swift answers.

AC Wharton Jr. interacting with the crowd at his first townhall meeting as mayor of Memphis. (Photos by Lee Taylor)

After the town hall meeting, a man who attended fell to his knees praying that everything would get better.

The former Shelby County mayor, Wharton opened his first town hall meeting as Memphis mayor recently by joking that the audience might  “applaud for me for keeping my promise that I made a couple of months ago, that I would have a press conference here (Breath of Life Christian Church)”.

Then, he became more serious and asked the people in the room to help him help them.  “We need community support to address the real needs of the community,” Wharton said.

He told residents of the Raleigh-Frayser community that while he might not be able to answer all their questions that night, if they gave him 10 days, he and his staff would get back to every one of them.  

Juvenile crime and gang activity were among the main concerns of the evening. Memphis Police Chief Larry Godwin said that violent crime is down 16 percent from last year. He told the audience he took their concerns seriously and noted, “We work for you.”

The diverse audience reflected the many faces of Memphis: black and white, old and young, employed and jobless. They came together with the common goal of making the Bluff City safer and more economically stable.

One man asked if the city had any programs such as “Scared Straight” that allows youth to see what it’s like behind prison bars. Wharton said that many kids who see that (correctional facility) take it as a dare to go out and prove themselves; still, he said the city is working to create other programs to deter juveniles from committing crimes.  

Another audience member suggested that city government might invest more in the infrastructure as this might create more jobs and reduce crime. Robert Lipcomb, director of Housing and Community Development and the Memphis Housing Authority, said economic development and job creation are local priorities and that several key projects are underway.

“Even if you have all these things in the community, people still want to feel safe; we are making safety our priority and putting Larry Godwin (police chief) on the ground floor of everything we do,” Mayor Wharton added.

Other comments and exchanges:

A community resident said the children of Memphis need to feel they are important to this city, and they need greater support from the older generations. Wharton agreed and said that leaders plan to reinvigorate the youth advisory council.

A woman said she wanted the police officers to get out and get acquainted with the community, letting the residents know who they are and what precinct they are from. She said, “Police officers have no connection with us.”

Trash pickup was another hot topic. Constituents wanted to know why there are delays in trash pickups. Dejuan Gilliam said that the city restructured the department and modified its operations. He said the department may get behind during peak season, though not often. He added that they are limited in personnel and equipment.  

Sheriff Mark Lutrell presented more statistics when he spoke: 85 percent of offenders who are in jail have been there before, and the juvenile crime rate has risen 50 percent within the last year.

“We can build bigger and stronger jails, but that won’t stop crime. We have to break the cycle,” he said.

Also, there was a question on boarded-up and abandoned buildings – both commercial and residential. The mayor said there are a lot of legal hoops but “we are working on something that will allow the government to take over some of the neglected apartment buildings.”  Since a lot of them are owned by out-of-towners, the legal process slows down progress, he said.

Wharton said town hall meetings are what democracy is about.

“We are going to keep this up. I might be skinny but have big shoulders. I can take it.”