Strategy needed
Editor, The Commercial:
In Pine Bluff a second homicide has occurred within 35 hours, which is deeply concerning. The city must develop and implement a crime prevention strategy aimed at reducing violence and criminal activity.
As an experienced crime prevention strategist and the executive director of the PBICVR Respect for Life Campaign Community Affiliate Network, I urge the city to adopt a comprehensive crime prevention plan.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
This plan should include law enforcement, community policing, neighborhood restoration, and elements of prevention, intervention, and treatment. Since 2020, Pine Bluff has experienced over 100 homicides, with a significant number involving teenagers, and the majority of victims being Black.
In 2019, Black individuals accounted for 86 percent of the city’s homicides. In 2021, out of 24 homicides, six victims were under the age of 19, with the youngest being 13 years old.
Between 2023 and January 2024, a period of less than 13 months, over 40% of Pine Bluff’s homicides involved Black youth under 18. The reported homicide figures were 22 in 2020, 30 in 2021, 21 in 2022, and 22 in 2023. Already in 2024, there have been eight additional homicides.
Without a strategic approach, the incidence of violence is likely to escalate as we approach the summer months.
Rev. Jesse C. Turner, executive director,
Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration Inc.