Rev. Charles Harrison of Indy Ten Point Coalition says he never imagined the unprecedented magnitude of violent crime in the city of Indianapolis today.
“It’s at a level that I never thought I’d see in my lifetime,” Harrison told the Hammer and Nigel Show Monday. “Some days I’m stunned as I see these numbers come in.”
Two double shootings, two triple shootings, one quadruple shooting, and six homicides all took place in Indianapolis between Friday and early Monday morning.
The city has logged a total of 102 homicides and 508 people shot or stabbed in the first five months of 2021.
Rev. Harrison says reducing violent crime in Indy starts with addressing problems in the ‘broken’ judicial system.
“We certainly have to address the concern that law enforcement has about ‘catch and release’ – particularly when it comes to the most violent people in our city, who are more likely to be the shooters,” Harrison told Hammer and Nigel. “A lot [of the perpetrators of violent crime] are on home detention [and] a lot of them should be in jail and brought before a judge.
“But I think the other issue is the [lack of] focus on prevention [of violent crime] and intervention,” Harrison continued. “And prevention is important and it’s where we’re putting a lot of dollars in the last ten years compared to the past when we’ve had a greater emphasis on intervention, intervening in the lives of individuals, particularly in those hotspot areas across the city where we are engaging with individuals and redirecting their lives.”
Harrison says there was a heavy emphasis on prevention and intervention previously under Mayors Goldsmith, Peterson, and Ballard that has completely dissipated under the Hogsett administration.
“We have totally gotten away from that, and that is one of the bigger reasons why we’ve lost control of this violence,” Harrison said.
Harrison fears violence in Indy may have reached the point of no return.
“I’ve spoken with a lot of leaders in the city over the last 24 hours and the question becomes whether or not we can put this genie back in the bottle,” said Harrison.
Harrison argues that we can find a balance between prison reform, an effort to create alternatives to incarceration, and ‘catch and release.’
“I’m certainly for prison reform,” said Harrison. “And particularly for those who have committed non-violent offenses, but [not] for those who are committing violent offenses and they’re right back on the street.”
He continued: “The home detention with the GPS system [and] ankle bracelets is really not working. I see a lot of people when I’m out walking in the street that should be in their homes. I think the numbers are too large in Marion County to really monitor that system when you have a total of over 4,000 individuals on that program, and I think the numbers are unmanageable. And if we don’t have any accountability then there isn’t going to be any reduction in violent crime.”
Harrison is the Board President of the Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition, a group of churches that seeks to be proactive in reducing violent crime in the urban community.
“Our number one focus is urban youth violence – particularly as it impacts young men of color between the ages of 12 and 24 – because homicide is now the leading cause of death for young males between the ages of one and 35 years of age,” Harrison stated.
Indy Ten Point leverages members of the clergy, residents in the areas of the city prone to violence, and reformed violent criminals who have turned their life around.
“So we go out into the community and attempt to change young peoples’ mindset – particularly when it comes to dealing with conflict – so they’re not using violence as a means to settle their conflicts,” Harrison said.
In partnership with IMPD, six previously violent communities in the city in where Indy Ten Point has intervened have seen a massive reduction in homicides.
Click the link below to hear Hammer and Nigel’s full interview with Rev. Charles Harrison.
https://omny.fm/shows/hammer-and-nigel-show/rev-charles-harrison-talks-violence-in-indy
