It seems simple enough. Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you. That’s not a very hard concept to grasp, right?

Well, if you live in Selma, you know this isn’t necessarily the case.

Common sense also tells you that if you point a gun at someone and pull the trigger, there is a very good chance you are going to take that person’s life. Any adult knows what a gun is capable of.

An ordinary person in an ordinary place understands the consequences of these actions.

But this is not an ordinary place.

In the one year I have now been living here, I hear people say “only in Selma” and laugh when something happens.

Frankly, it’s disturbing that so many people just consider crime in Selma to be a part of life. That’s what we are famous for.

It makes me angry and sad at the same time.

When I was growing up in Choctaw County, Selma was a place you wanted to visit. They had great restaurants, interesting tourist attractions and plenty of shopping for any need.

Unfortunately, the addition of a growing criminal element in town is starting to overshadow everything we have to offer.

Crime in Selma has grown beyond the capabilities of our undermanned police force. They do the best they can with the manpower and equipment they have, but they are outnumbered.

So what can we as citizens to do help?  We can’t take to the streets with torches, guns and pitchforks. That would only make a bad situation worse. What we can do is serve as the eyes and ears of that undermanned police force. We can take our city back by way of telephone, by putting anonymous tip lines to work and letting our police force know where crimes are taking place.

So many times people know about crimes, are angry about crimes in their neighborhood and want to see those criminals put behind bars. But, they are intimidated to take a stand.

This is understandable. However, until we start taking a stand and turning these punks in, Selma cannot begin to turn the corner. If you have information related to a crime, or have heard information through social circles, let the Selma Police Department know. We can’t continue to foster our biggest problems any longer.