Shreveport Citizens United formed to reduce crime & violence

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Many Shreveport residents are stepping up to do something about the ongoing violence in their neighborhoods.

Many citizens have joined Shreveport Citizens United (SCU). Their goal is to unite citizens transcending race, socioeconomic background, or political affiliation. They want to do this by establishing cooperative relationships between citizens, civic leaders, and nonprofits with the purpose of reducing crime and violence.

Through their outreach, their goal is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and citizens by getting active in communities.

“I’m an old combat soldier, so I’m not afraid to get on the ground and be in the neighborhood and get out. We’re going to do that. And I think that’s what’s going to be most surprising to everyone because we’re going to get in the mud,” Jerome Cox of SCU said.

The organization says the fight for peace doesn’t stop here in the ArkLaTex. They will travel to collect research in other states and cities to see how those places have combatted crime and have decreased overall crime rates.

“We also understand that it is necessary to look at operations that are in other states that have done well, so we’re on the move right now. I got to go to Nashville. We’re heading to Maryland, then Omaha, Nebraska,” Michael Riordan of SCU said.

SCU says they can’t complete their mission without the help of the Shreveport community, though.

“It’s going to take community involvement. If people don’t say what they know, nothing changes. They’re going to have to be brave enough to say and understand that this will be kept confidential, and no one will ever know who told what to where,” Riordan said.

“But if you see something, say something. If you see weapons going in and out of cars, say something. We have a void right now. We don’t have enough police officers to cover this city, so we need to work cooperatively with them.”

The organization has caught the attention of several civic leaders, and they have begun working closely with law enforcement.

They will host their first town hall meeting Thursday, March 29 in the Cedar Grove neighborhood at the Common Ground Community Center with Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith and its council representative.

“It makes me think about what Dr. King once said, ‘if a man isn’t willing to die for something, he isn’t fit to live’.”

Visit join.shrevecu.org to remain informed about the organization.

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