Getting crime under control in Indianapolis will take whole community, activist says
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police have told the community several times in the last 24 hours that the key to bringing in a suspect is held by someone that witnessed this incident.
Antonio Patton is among those hoping someone comes forward. He spent most of Friday with the family of Day’Shawn Bills, a 12-year-old boy who was shot early Thursday morning and died Friday afternoon at a hospital.
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“There is not a dry eye in the family. The mood is somber. It is a family wishing they were in bad dream and they could all wake up,” said Patton.
Patton warns that as we approach the warmer weather, he and others working in the community are expecting a spike in crime. He says to look at the city as we come out of a pandemic.
“When nobody is even supposed to be outside, nobody is even supposed to be moving and we are setting record homicide rates in a pandemic, mind-blowing, mind-boggling and it is not even hot yet. We are not in summer,” said Patton.
With 25 years of experience working the streets of Indianapolis, Patton told me one of the keys to bring crime under control is for everyone to take responsibility.
“We are going to slow it down when all of these men that are living in this city — these neighbors and these communities — say enough is enough and they are willing to take the time to realize that every kid doesn’t have two parents,” said Patton.
On Friday morning, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced a new community relations council to improve overall communication with the department and the community. The mayor also said he is focused on growing the size and increasing the diversity of the police department.
