Dear editor,

This is what Selma has become. I want action now.

You have thugs acting like the Wild, Wild West. On any given day or night you can constantly hear multiple gunshots ringing out.

On Oct. 16, 2015, gunshots rang out all over the city. We did not hear any police siren. Moreover, they are speeding and drag racing in the neighborhood, running red lights and stop signs; music so loud that the windows rattle and vibrate, and also, breaking into cars and homes.

Regardless, we should not have to live like this, whether we are rich or poor. We deserve law and order in our community. In addition, when I read the newspaper, [I see] a whole page full of criminal activities, and unbelievably, many crimes are not being reported.

Furthermore, drive by shootings in people’s homes should be strictly enforced. The lawmakers should pass a law when someone shoots in a person’s home, they should get 20 years when they hurt someone, and if they kill someone, they should get the death penalty. No one has the right to shoot up someone’s house just because you are angry with the person that lives there. That is a cowardly act.

Yes, there may be a police shortage. Nonetheless, the officers [are] still supposed to serve and protect our neighborhoods.

Moreover, the criminals also know there is a police shortage. This is why we have so much crime going on in the city, especially the way officers patrol our area. We need to ask the question, “Why can’t Selma attract more police officers?”

We have a budget for 60 officers. In the meantime, while looking and trying to recruit more officers, why not take some of that money in the budget and give the officers a raise? I am tired of the old cliché, we do not have the money. We need to recruit officers outside of Selma city limits also. Furthermore, the city councilmen have a budget also. Why not cut some of their pet projects and give officers a raise? I do not see where the money is going anyway, especially in our neighborhood.

It is your duty to go out and find some type of funding somewhere, so we can have a safer community. Moreover, this is why we elected you to do your job.

Meanwhile, the streets are caving in, potholes [are] everywhere and you want to attract more business here. We do not even have a shopping mall or a five star restaurant, but we are regularly opening up a Dollar General store. Maybe if you get rid of some of the crimes here, just maybe we can get some businesses here to improve Selma. Tourists visit here, but they spend most of their money in Montgomery, Birmingham and other major cities to name a few.

Lastly, we the people in Selma share the blame also because we see a lot of crime activities and say nothing, not one word, until we become victims ourselves and want someone to speak up and report a crime. I am ashamed.

This is one of the major destructions of a neighborhood. Instead of fixing the problems in our community, you want to move out and leave it. We need to stand up as one and fight for law and order in out community.

Velma S. Shuford
Selma