CRIME CURFEW... SAVANNAH MAYOR VAN JOHNSON ... RAISED THE ISSUE DURING HIS WEEKLY NEWS CONFERENCE ... AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION ... TO THE RECENT GUN VIOLENCE. WE GO LIVE TO OUR NIKIYA - CARRERO WHO IS DOWNTOWN... GREG PICTURE IT... RIGHT HERE ON THE CORNER OF JEFFERSON AND CONGRESS STREET. 1 AM ON SUNDAY THIS AREA WAS JAM PACKED WITH PEOPLE AND A CRIME SCENE. AND IT'S FOR THAT REASON MAYOR JOHNSON SAYS ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE. (JOHNSON) IF I HAVE TO INSTITUTE CURFEWS AND LIMIT CROWDS TO REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR SHOOTING INCIDENTS THEN I AM WILLING TO CONSIDER THAT." WITH 3 PEOPLE SHOT AND 1 INJURED BECAUSE OF A SHOOTING THAT TOOK PLACE OVER THE WEEK MAYOR VAN JOHNSON SAYS PUBLIC SAFETY IS A TOP PRIORITY... EVEN IF IT MEANS LIMITING NOT ONLY CROWDS BUT TIME... (JOHNSON) "IF THAT MEANS CLEARING OUT DOWNTOWN AREAS AT MIDNIGHT OR EARLIER FOR THAT TO OCCUR GIVEN THE GUN LAWS IN OUR STATE. EVERYTHING IN MY MIND IS ON THE TABLE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED." I SPOKE WITH CHAD POSICK, AN ASSOCIATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CRIMINOLOGY PROFESSOR AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN SAYS A STUDIES SHOW CURFEWS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR CURVING VIOLENT CRIMES IN THE SHORT TERM... (CHAD POSICK, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CRIMINOLOGY, GEORGIA SOUTHERN) WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT LONG TERM VIOLENCE, WHICH A LOT OF THESE MIDSIZE CITIES STRUGGLE WITH IT REALLY IS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION. MORE OF A BAND AID THAN SOMETHING THAT CAN REALLY GET IN THERE AND CURVE VIOLENCE OVER THE LONG HAUL." HE SAYS PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION ARE IMPORTANT AND CONCENTRATING ON SPECIFIC AREAS... (POSICK) "SO A LOT OF BLANKET STRATEGIES THAT FOCUS ON ENTIRE COMMUNITIES, AN ENTIRE CITY. THOSE TEND TO NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE AS THOSE THAT REALLY FOCUS ON CERTAIN PLACES THAT ARE HIGH IN VIOLENT CRIME. AND FOCUSING ON INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THOSE PLACES THAT MOST FREQUENT OFFENDERS..." NIKIYA ... YOU ASKED THE PROFESSORS ABOUT PREVENTIVE AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES. I DID GREG. HE SAYS THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO COME FROM A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND POLICE WORKING TOGETHER. LOOKING AT DATA AND SEE WHAT WORKS FOR EACH ARE
Savannah Mayor: Curfews, closing businesses early among options to combat city's gun violence
Mayor Van Johnson says everything is on the table - including instituting curfews - as city leaders try to combat Savannah's gun violence problem ahead of another holiday weekend.
Updated: 7:09 AM EDT Jun 29, 2022
Mayor Van Johnson says everything is on the table - including instituting curfews - as city leaders try to combat Savannah's gun violence problem ahead of another holiday weekend.Johnson made the comments during his regularly scheduled press conference Tuesday, just days after gunfire erupted at a busy City Market.Three people were shot at the popular Savannah landmark.TRENDING STORIESAlex Murdaugh, gunman in failed suicide plot indicted for conspiracy, money launderingAuthorities: Attempt to arrest Toombs County man leads to shooting, 4-hour-long standoffFollowing Supreme Court ruling, longstanding Savannah abortion clinic announces closingThe shooting is just the latest in a long line of gun violence incidents in the city.RELATEDIs Savannah more dangerous than Atlanta? Yes, according to the numbersSavannah City Council approves several measures to tackle gun violenceSavannah kids explain how gun violence affects their daily lives"If I have to institute curfews and limit crowds to reduce the potential for shooting incidents then I am willing to consider that," the mayor said. "If that means clearing out downtown areas at midnight or earlier for that to occur, given the gun laws in our state, everything in my mind is on the table as far as I’m concerned."Below video: Savannah mayor discusses option of curfews to combat gun violenceChad Posick, an associate criminal justice and criminology professor at Georgia Southern University, says studies show curfews can help curb violence in the short term."When we’re looking at long term violence, which a lot of these midsize cities struggle with it really is a temporary solution," Posick said. "More of a Band-Aid than something that can really get in there and curve violence over the long haul.”He says prevention and intervention are important and concentrating on specific areas."So a lot of blanket strategies that focus on entire communities, an entire city, those tend to not be as effective as those that really focus on certain places that are high in violent crime," he said. "And focusing on individuals within those places that most frequent offenders."
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Mayor Van Johnson says everything is on the table - including instituting curfews - as city leaders try to combat Savannah's gun violence problem ahead of another holiday weekend.
Johnson made the comments during his regularly scheduled press conference Tuesday, just days after gunfire erupted at a busy City Market.
Three people were shot at the popular Savannah landmark.
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TRENDING STORIES
The shooting is just the latest in a long line of gun violence incidents in the city.
RELATED
"If I have to institute curfews and limit crowds to reduce the potential for shooting incidents then I am willing to consider that," the mayor said. "If that means clearing out downtown areas at midnight or earlier for that to occur, given the gun laws in our state, everything in my mind is on the table as far as I’m concerned."
Below video: Savannah mayor discusses option of curfews to combat gun violence
Chad Posick, an associate criminal justice and criminology professor at Georgia Southern University, says studies show curfews can help curb violence in the short term.
"When we’re looking at long term violence, which a lot of these midsize cities struggle with it really is a temporary solution," Posick said. "More of a Band-Aid than something that can really get in there and curve violence over the long haul.”
He says prevention and intervention are important and concentrating on specific areas.
"So a lot of blanket strategies that focus on entire communities, an entire city, those tend to not be as effective as those that really focus on certain places that are high in violent crime," he said. "And focusing on individuals within those places that most frequent offenders."