Crime is the universal, omnipresent, or ubiquitous phenomenon in any human societies both historically and realistically. Memphis is not the exception. Such crime exists here in Memphis and Shelby county. And it shows its uniqueness in the local communities, too.
Why does crime exist? Why do such criminals commit such horrible crime? Why don’t other good and responsible citizens commit their crime? What are the fundamental differences among them? How can we change such criminal irresponsible citizens into the good and responsible citizens? How can we maintain the public safety and the social order, and build, retain, and preserve the ideal social integration here?
There can be multi-layered analysis about such questions and phenomena, and about their solutions. Such analysis may have the reasons which are composed of individual, legal, social, political, economical, cultural, or historical aspects.
The Memphis community has both misdemeanor and felony. The issues of the serious criminal offenses or local crimes are homicide, jevenile crime, car thefts, government crime or government officials’ crime, white-collar crime, hybrid crime, and so on.
The rampant crime or so-called “crime crisis” shows the failure of social elite in Memphis and Shelby County let alone to the existence of those violent criminals, white-collar criminals, and hybrid criminals.
Here are some of our views or opinion in terms of such social phenomena which are discussed in the discussion domain of public opinion.
(The violent criminals in Memphis and Shelby County)
First, the violent criminals in Memphis and Shelby County should be reduced and controlled. We don’t raise any objections about that. There is no different view or opinion for reducing, controlling, and punishing such violent crime.
The violent criminals should be punished. We should not lose and give up such hopes that the conflicts among indivisuals can and should be resolved without resort to violence.
The crime of homicide is the worst crime in human society. The penalties for homicide should be heavy and the law enforcement should be strict.
Steve Mulroy, the District Attorney of Shelby County, Tennessee, mentioned like this about “pulling trigger”. The bottome line of his message was that ‘If you point a gun at somebody or another human being, and if you pull the trigger, then that means and there should confinement.’
In terms of this aspect, Steve Mulroy was not right 50 percent. Or he was not right 75 percent, or 85 percent. He was not right 90 percent or even 95 percent. He was one hundred (100) percent right. Someone should be confined in prison for long or significant time, if he or she pulls trigger at another human being. Period.
(the issue of the jevenile crime)
Second, the issue of the jevenile crime is big and huge in Memphis community. The existing view about the jevenile crime mentioned mostly about both the jeveniles and their parents including the poverty problems and the lack or failure of educational system.
The potentially suggested solutions from such diagnosis are not enough to solve the jevenile crime. Such diagnosis and solutions are what we already know, and what we know that cannot solve or reduce such problems anytime soon or in the near future.
Untraditional methods are needed to deal with the jevenile crime in Memphis. Such methods can or may be called as “cultural approach”, “social campaign”, or even “psychological operation.”
The Memphians have to persuade the juveniles not to commit crime. Stuffy, old-fashioned, staid preachings have not been working to the eyes of the juveniles. Traditional methods are not working here in Memphis.
What is the ‘peer pressure’? It is said to be “a feeling that you must do the same things as other people of your age and social group in order to be liked or respected by them.”
We have to use the tool of peer pressure. And that will not be enough if we don’t use another tool whose name is “cultural persuation/pressure/operation/movement”, or “psychological persuation/pressure/operation/movement.”
Some of the city budget need to be used for such cultural movements. And the potentional juvenile criminals need to feel social pressure or persuation especailly from their peers.
And because of the failture or indifference of the parents of the jevenile criminals, home training or discipline seems not to have worked. And the public educational system seems not enough.
Therefore, the social role of the local journalism and media should be reemphasized or stressed again. The local media can contribute by producing more persuasive or cultural content in order to deal with the jevenile crime in Memphis and Shelby County.
The issue or problem of the locally preexsting media is that they are too much commercially motivated while failing to diagnose the social problems of the local communities. There are possibilities that it may have existed or exist corruptions in the local media, too.
(car theft or car jacking)
Third, Memphis needs to deal with the issue of car theft or car jacking. Such criminals benefit from stolen goods or properties. Therefore, the important and effective tool must be used in order to try to cut off or intercept the benefits and profits from the crime.
It is not enough for police officers to try to chase the car theft criminals on the street, but what is much more important is to detect and destroy the underground market and its network of automobile parts around Memphis.
Local law enforcements can and should do that unless some of their high-ranking officials benefit from such crime.
(the failure of the local governments)
Fourth, we have to recognize the failure of the local governments. They are not only imcompetent but also are alleged or suspected to be corrupt.
(the crime of the local governments)
Fifth, We would like to stress the issue of the crime of the local governments. We have to detect and punish such criminally involved activities from some types of the government officials especially from the justice system, the civil courts, the city government, law enforcement agencies, and local police.
(white-collar crime and hybrid crime)
Sixth, Memphis is not only the city of the notorious violent crime and homicide, but it is the city of white-collar crime and hybrid crime, which are not seen on the street to the eyes of the general public. That’s why such crime are much more dangerous for the community only except such street homicides.
And the white-collar criminals should be punished, too. They are social cancers here. Such white-collar crime evolved into even the form of the hybrid crime here, which sends the invitatin letters to the violent crime including homicide.
(economic innovation and diversification)
Seventh, Memphis needs to pursuit and have economic innovation and diversification. When people talk about the crime issues in Memphis, the first word from their mouths tend to be about poverty.
If Memphis achieves more economic innovation and diversification, then it can contribute to reducing the local crime. We hope so at least. Logistics, transportation, tourism, health care and other industries are known local industries for the Memphis economy. But new category of industries need to be added especially from the tertiary industry.
New Netflix, new Apple, new Amazon, new Facebook, new Instagram, new YouTube, new content business, new media business can be launched around Memphis. And they should be.
More movies, more documentaries, more podcasts, more media-related content should and can be produced here locally and distributed nationwide from here.
At the same time, the Memphians have to think about this, too. All of the poor people don’t commit crime. They try to work hard or find ways to solve their financial problems instead of committing crime.
And the rich people commit crime here in Memphis and Shelby County, too. Those who have money or financial resources commit crime, too. Especially, the more money the white-collar criminals have, the more crime they commit. That’s what we should not ignore. In these types of crime, we need to have another approaches.
(the need for better law enforcement)
Eighth, Memphis needs better law enforcement. One of the myths about the local law enforcement around Memphis is that such agencies enforce law or enforce law correctly and fairly.
No, it’s not.
MPD(Memphis Police Department) is notorious for its nick name, “the biggest gangster in the city.” Such complaints are not just from the criminals or potential suspects, but they are from the good and responsible citizens, too.
We don’t have to have such “SCORPION” unit again, but we need or may need another kinds of special investigative unit for MPD. The unit should detect and investigate allegedly corrupt and criminal police members and other hybrid criminals behind them while having used the corrupt police.
(the administration of justice & the rule of law)
Ninth, the administration of justice needs to be established fairly and effectively.
There need to be special investigation about Shelby County Circuit Court and Circuit Court Clerk’s Office. And of course, other courts, too. There have been serious allegations about judicial crime, judicial corruption, judicial malfunction, judicial misconducts, and so on.
Such allegedly suspects of judicial crime need to be investigated and should be put into prision if they are convicted beyond the reasonable doubts.
Lack of trust among people about the local justice system and its judicial officers is rampant in our local community and society.
(The role of TBI and FBI)
Tenth, the role of TBI(Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) and FBI(Federal Bureau of Investigation) is important. Such agencies are unprecedentedly important because both MPD and Shelby County Sheriff Office don’t function properly.
(corrupt judges and crooked lawyers)
Eleventh, the purification process or activities need to be found in the legal circles around Memphis. There are too many and too much so-called “corrupt judges” and “crooked lawyers.”
It is extremely difficult to see or predict that the legal circles perform self-purification, so heteronomous-purification is strongly needed.
(imcompetent lawmakers)
Twelvth, we have to point out the imcompetent lawmakers who have their offices in Nashville in Tennessee.
They are not only imcompetent but also left bad laws and sometimes “evil laws” for a long time as they are. The lawmakers ignored and neglected the Memphians.
(Some examples)
Thirteenth, these are some names for examples which need to be invetigated for the justice in Memphis and Shelby County.
Felicia Corbin-Johnson(judge), Rhynette Hurd(judge), Mary L. Wagner(judge), Kip Whittemore (attorney), Taylor B. Davidson(attorney), S. Butler Bernard, Jr.(attorney), Jeffrey E. Nicoson(attorney), State Farm(insurance company, Trexis(insurance company), Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis(hospital), Morgan & Morgan(law firm), MPD(police), City of Memphis(city government), Shelby County Circuit Court(court) & Circuit Court Clerk Office(court clerk),
(conclusion)
The political, legal, and social elite in Memphis and Shelby County lacks both the ability and the moral integrity to fix the crime problems in the local communities.
The last resort which the Memphians can lean on is the local citizens who are indivisually good and socially responsible here in Memphis and Shelby County. And you are one of them.
The Editorial of the Memphis Times
www.memphistimes.org
Published: February 12, 2024, Monday, at 2:26PM.