The brutal killing of a well-known businessman downtown last month sent shock waves through Chattanooga, forcing the city to confront the grim reality of violent crime.
Christopher Wright, 38, a Baylor School graduate and father of three, was gunned down on Sept. 28 after interacting with a Black man outside Patten Towers near Market Street.
His tragic death jolted the business community and prompted leaders to demand answers. Elected leaders responded.
On Tuesday, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly announced, in connection with Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp and Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett, a plan to increase law enforcement presence in downtown Chattanooga as well as some initiatives.
(READ MORE: Mayor on Market Street shooting: ‘isolated, senseless, and brazen act of gun violence’)
But more police is a simple — and most times the wrong — answer to addressing crime. This approach leads to over policing and the targeting of Black and brown people.
The law enforcement tools that the city has already deployed in downtown Chattanooga worked on Sept. 28. The surveillance camera in front of the Patten Towers captured what took place. Police were able to arrest the alleged shooter quickly.
In a Monday statement, the mayor announced a Public Safety Commission that will strive to answer the question: What criminal justice changes are necessary to keep violent, repeat offenders off Chattanooga’s streets?
“There aren’t easy answers or one single initiative to solve violent crime, and our approach will continue to be multi-faceted, holistic, and comprehensive,” Kelly said.
A better question is: Who are we catering these changes to?
(READ MORE: Hamilton County officials join Chattanooga’s efforts to curb violence downtown)
A collective need for justice
Here’s a grim reality: Violent crime occurs too frequently in Chattanooga, and it is concentrated in two or three areas, mostly communities of Black and brown residents.
Where is the outcry, the demand for a response when ghastly violence rips apart these families?
Remember this: In the early morning on June 5, 2022, a man fired a gun into a crowd of dozens gathered in front of Mary’s Bar & Grill in the 2100 block of McCallie Avenue, just 2.6 miles away from Patten Towers; three people died and 14 people were wounded. Two men face weapons charges in connection with the incident; the alleged shooter’s bail was set at $250,000. Wright’s killer has a bond of $5 million.
What was the response from elected leaders then? Where were the business community and the powerful influencers then?
It comes off as insensitive, selective outrage when there’s a different response to violent crime — depending on who the victim looks like.
We do not need to perpetuate the false notion that one group, whether by race or class, is more dangerous than the other or more deserving of urgency.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County, Chattanooga mayors grapple with response to downtown shooting)
Fear is misplaced
It’s a shame that it took violence against a wealthy white man in downtown to galvanize widespread response. For prominent leaders and business owners who believe that the city has reached a boiling point with gun violence after this latest shooting, they now might have the slightest idea of what many residents live with everyday. It is not a boiling point for the residents in communities like College Hill Courts, where two women were killed and five wounded in a shooting two years ago (and for which no arrests have been made, even though the city offered $20,000 for information leading to an arrest). Unjust killings happen in Black neighborhoods every day. Violence is a reality Black and brown families face every day.
There is a lot of fear surrounding this issue: the fear of something many people do not understand or have no experience with.
In his statement last week, Kelly said, “Every Chattanoogan deserves to feel safe: at home, at work, downtown, on the street, in our parks, at events, and throughout the community … I’m grateful for the sheriff’s willingness to partner with the CPD to reinforce our shared commitment to proactive policing and enforcement strategies that seek out bad actors and get them off the street.”
But “bad actors” is ambiguous. Who determines who the “bad actors” are? Are they the homeless? The mentally unstable? Someone who is a different race from you? Using vague terms fosters fear and a sense of personal insecurity. And that’s a shame. And unnecessary.
Chattanooga is home to a diverse population, people who get their children to school, go to work, volunteer and so on. They enjoy and support the many amenities Chattanooga offers. And as this latest public safety initiative unfolds, Kelly, Wamp, law enforcement — all of us, really — should remember this.
It is difficult to separate Christopher Wright’s senseless death and the tremendous outpouring of support for his family from rhetoric calling for extreme actions. But it is critical that the community separate his death from the noise because violence touches everyone, and our approach cannot be one-size-fits-all.
Christopher’s Wright’s death was a tragedy. Have compassion for his family, but also allow this experience, this suffering, to be a tool to inspire change — for everyone in the community.