SHREVEPORT, La. As the homicide toll soared to 32 already this year, city leaders came together for a call to the community to help in a renewed effort to stop gun violence. It s called Safer Shreveport.
Mayor Adrian Perkins joined the chiefs of the police and fire departments, other elected leaders, as well as leaders in the business and religious communities in urging everyone in Shreveport to help in the effort.
Perkins told a crowd gathered outside Government Plaza about getting a call recently from a tee ball coach. The coach said he had to call off practice because of gunfire near their ballfield in the north part of the city.
Frustrations Boil Over at City Meeting to Talk About Crime k945.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from k945.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It was another meeting of community leaders on the steps of Shreveport s Government Plaza yesterday, and like so many meetings before, the topic was the epidemic of gun crime that plagues the city.
Attending the Wednesday assembly were representatives from the Shreveport City Council, the city s Fire and Police Departments, various business and religious leaders and Mayor Adrian Perkins.
But the gathering, intended to seek solutions to a tragic problem, turned heated when Councilman Jerry Bowman, when speaking on the recent rash of shootings, noticed a woman in the crowd holding a sign.
The woman, community activist Breka Peoples, held high a sign that said, We don t believe you, a reference to the seeming failure of the city s upper echelon to make a dent in the number of shootings.
SHREVEPORT, La- Abandoned homes and the lack of upkeep is causing blight in a Shreveport neighborhood. That s the concern of a woman whose family owns a home on Lakeshore Drive in the Queensborough neighborhood. Toccara Huckaby told KTBS she is looking for permanent fixes and resolutions from the city to these issues. Toccara Huckaby and her aunt reached out to their councilman Jerry Bowman early March. They said they ve had no response yet. They were also connected with Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor who isn t over that area but has interest in helping.
While Toccara doesn t live in her families Queensborough home anymore, it is still in the family. Huckaby claims the area s upkeep has gone downhill since she was a kid and wants to know if Property Standards are upheld the same across the city.