Jay GreesonWe'll start this morning tipping the visor to WRCB, our paper's news partner.
The station asked viewers to help with a sobering - and until recently pretty invisible - problem facing our criminal justice system. The station is raising money for a witness support fund set up a month ago by the city.
In that vein, there are no bad attempts. Trying to help is noble and admirable.
Mayor Andy Berke and Police Chief Fred Fletcher took time out of their schedules to man the phones Wednesday.
Good for them, and for WRCB.
Now - and there's always a now or a but, right - why do we need to pass the hat for something as significant as this?
Please, with a mid-nine-figure budget that covers thousands of employees and the needs of more than 150,000 citizens of our city, why are we looking to a phone bank for something as critical as witness support?
Look, whether we want to admit it, we have real problems with gang crime in this city.
Heck, no one really likes to talk about it - and for most of us who live in the suburbs and spend most of our downtown time on weekdays during daylight hours, it's not a problem.
But violent crimes are being committed in areas on the fringe of where we expect to attract visitors, expand infrastructure and continue our city's rejuvenation.
This is not about a back-up quarterback sitting on the bench 15 minutes before the start of the game. This is not about a minuscule percentage of police officers making a professional mistake in a moment that costs a life.
Sure, those are rallying points that have and should generate discussion about how we can be better, do better and serve better.
This is about fighting the root of the problem: how to get those who commit violent crimes off our streets and behind bars.
To that end, why is something as important as protecting the brave individuals who are willing to stand up to intimidation and risk their personal safety and testify against accused killers not being given every measure of support possible?
Why is an issue this important something we have to pass the hat to make ends meet?
The city - and the county, too - have the responsibility to protect witnesses so critical to making the wheels of justice turn properly.
Yes, we are 'NoogaStrong; we earned that slogan tragically a little more than 14 months ago when a homegrown extremist gunned down five military servicemen. We certainly won't forget July 16 or the men who lost their lives in an unspeakable horror.
Well, then, how can we forget the name Bianca Horton, the young mother who was killed in May after saying she'd testify against an alleged murderer?
We need more than phone banks and car washes to support people willing to take a stand against the violence that has overwhelmed some of our vulnerable neighborhoods.
That has to be support that starts at the top, and something around which we can all rally.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.