By George Evans,

Mayor of Selma

My heart is heavy today. And I’m tired.Last week, another young man lost his life to violence. It was a drug deal gone wrong. But let’s put that aside for the moment. Regardless of how you may feel about the circumstances surrounding the killing, every life is precious. He was 26 years old. He was someone’s son, grandson, brother, friend; my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I can’t imagine their pain.

Who killed him? Two more of Selma’s sons, one 18 years old, the other 19. Two teenagers whose lives are changed forever by what happened on Friday morning at the corner of Highland Avenue and Citizens Parkway. My heart goes out to their families as well.

We could debate from now until doomsday about all the sociological reasons that one young man is dead and two others are in jail. We could, but I won’t.

I’m tired. Tired of watching our young men succumb to violence. Granted, this is not just a Selma problem; it is one facing cities all across America, and it’s time to call it what it is: an epidemic — an epidemic of violent crime. And the victims and perpetrators are young men.

This has got to stop! And the community has to come together to stop it.

None of us told those young men to be out at 3 in the morning. None of us put the gun into their hands. None of us made the decision to pull the trigger. None of us are directly responsible for their moral choices. That is on them alone.

But as a compassionate community, we have to care. And as a caring community, we have to take action to prevent the same thing from happening to our sons and to our neighbors’ sons.

It starts at home. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, you have more power than you know. Put your foot down. Don’t let your children run the streets late at night. Ask them where they’re going. Know who their friends are. Make them go to school. Make them go to church. Stop turning a blind eye to the clothes and jewelry and electronics and cars they bring home when they don’t have a job. If your gut tells you something is wrong, something is probably wrong. Turn your sons in, while you still have them.

Church leaders, teachers and school administrators, social service agencies, citizens, their actions may not be our responsibility but their behaviors are our problem. As a community, we must have zero tolerance for anti-social behaviors and we must help the police to do their job.

Report suspected illegal activity. You see what’s going on in your neighborhood and know which house has all the activity in the wee hours. It takes courage to make that phone call. But you can do it anonymously without fear of retaliation.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We need to put our money where our mouths are and provide alternatives for our young people. Dig deep into your pockets to provide summer jobs. Three hundred children apply for jobs through the city every year. We can only employ one-third of them. We have to do better.

Support after-school programs and weekend programs. We know that children’s lives are enriched and many young people are turned around by programs offered by the YMCA, Police Athletic League, Boy Scouts and Boys and Girls Clubs. Existing programs have to be strengthened, and we need to fill the void where no programs exist.

I raised three boys. I worked in the school system for more than 30 years. I was a coach for as long. I know what idle young men look like and I know what trouble they can get into.

There isn’t a single panacea for all that ails us, but we have to recommit ourselves to making sure that in Selma, Alabama, at least, that all of us, as a community, are our brothers’ keepers.

I am convinced that we can turn our young people around if we just work together. This epidemic of violent crime committed by young men must end.

I am open to any and all suggestions and help from the community.