Residents and members of Greater St. Mary Baptist Church gathered together Saturday for a march to end violence and criminal activities in Lake Charles. (Michelle Higginbotham / American Press)
Residents and members of Greater St. Mary Baptist Church gathered together Saturday for a march to end violence and criminal activities in Lake Charles. (Michelle Higginbotham / American Press)
Officials: Law enforcement, communities must work together
Last Modified: Monday, September 17, 2012 12:05 PM
By Johnathan Manning / American Press
Community and law enforcement must work together to quell crime, local officials and community leaders said Saturday at a “Stop the Violence” march.
Marchers, wearing T-shirts which bore the slogan “I am my brother’s keeper,” held a community forum after the march at Greater St. Mary Baptist Church.
“Somebody in the community knows who is burglarizing homes, somebody in the community knows the crack houses,” said Rev. Willie Giles Jr., a preacher and retired police officer from Shreveport. “Law enforcement and communities have to work together.”
Giles went further than just working together: “Communities have to take a hard stand that we’re not going to tolerate it anymore.”
Giles and Samuel Tolbert, Rev. of St. Mary, said stopping violence starts at home.
Tolbert said there are many positives in Lake Charles that he would like to see accentuated, bringing attention to a group of school-age children sitting well-behaved in the auditorium.
Bellow said no matter how small an offense or theft, it is important to report “even the little stuff” to police.
Sheriff Tony Mancuso concurred.
“When you call us, that gives us probably cause,” Mancuso said. “We can’t just go yank somebody off the street. That gives us the authority — we’re not going to abuse that authority.”
Bellow said 99 percent of home invasions are committed by people who have been in your home.
Posted By: Doug On: 9/16/2012
Title: Keep it Up
That is a great start, Greater Saint Mary Baptist Church; thanks for taking the lead. Keep it up.
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