In Tuesday’s city council meeting, council members shared their views about the crime happening in Meridian.
“You can look on Facebook. If you post a good post, you get a few likes. If you post something horrible, it’s gets shared, videotaped, all-over. For some reason, people notice negativity more. We need to be concentrated on being a society that notices good things more,” said Ward 3 City Councilwoman Fannie Johnson.
Their comments were in response to a resident’s complaint’s that the Meridian police department was ineffective in fighting crime, and that Police Chief Benny Dubose executed poor leadership.
“The police officers, they get harassed. They get talked down to. But at the end of the day that’s a hard job,” said Fannie Johnson.
“I think what chief Dubose was trying to say is when you see something, say something. I think he was just crying out for help when it comes to that perspective,” said Ward 2 City Councilman Tyrone Johnson.
During the meeting, council members encouraged residents to remember all the positive that’s going on in Meridian, like the recent economic growth, new youth programs, and the spirit of Meridian residents to give back.
“You have no idea how many people in Meridian volunteer all over the town. How many people want to help. How many people want to give,” said Fannie Johnson.
They told residents to, yes, be mindful of the crime but to trust that the city is working to keep everyone safe. They added that the only way the city can continue to move forward is if residents believe it can happen.
“People don’t want to come to a town where we the citizens of the town talk too much negativity. Every town has some negative things; we’re not the only ones. We need to make sure people know about the positive things. We need to encourage people to come here. We need to encourage businesses to come to Meridian because of the great things that are here,” said Fannie Johnson.
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