Back in November of '21 folks on Indy's east side weren't getting very much sleep. Pop pop pop, every night. Gunshots cracked the silence, pushing Indianapolis homicides to a record 246 by the end of the year.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett responded, using $150 million in federal American Rescue Plan money to hire more officers, use more mental health resources, and roll out a group of "peacekekeepers" who could better communicate with those who are most likely to be involved in violence.
But what happens when the peacekeeper is shot?
It happened last week at a gas station at 34th and Keystone—no report on why, when, or who the shooter was, but John "JB" Barnett was murdered, in a public place, potentially in view of cameras and the probability of witnesses. We lost a good man in a fight against evil, but what concerns so many is that these murders often go unsolved. To solve these crimes, police need tips and information from those who are close to the situation. The number and constancy of murders here indicate a high degree of community protection for the shooters. Protection they do not deserve. Whatever childhood difficulty these gunmen have gone through—and I am sure there has been a lot of it—the killing must stop. Lawlessness cannot be allowed to frighten whole neighborhoods of people who can't sleep for the gunfire, wondering if one of their own will make it home that night.
With some of that $150 million, maybe we could do more. We've never been able to hire the number of officers we need. Our force is (proportionally) 40 percent smaller than some other big cities. What if we use some of that money to pay what it takes to build the force to a proper level? That would help a lot, but, none of this will work unless there is neighborhood involvement, meaning the kind of inside information that will help police get violent felons off the streets.
When Isaiah Jackson, 15, and his 14-year-old friend Da'Vonta White were found dead in DuBarry Park in early April, Da'Vonta's mother tearfully begged someone to come forward to find her son's killer. In two other cases this year, 17-year-old Jamal Lewis was killed in January and 15-year-old Darryl Fisher was killed in February. All four cases remain unsolved.
The thing is: Gun violence isn't going to stop itself, and if neighbors will not join the fight, we will continue to hear more gun shots in the night and lose more sons and daughters to the whims of street thugs who might be stopped if everyone gets involved. Until then, who's next?
Nancy
