Racial breakdown
A year-to-year comparison of the Chattanooga Police Department’s sworn officers for the June fiscal year:Race – 2014 – 2015Caucasian – 78% – 78%African-American – 18% – 18%Hispanic – 18% – 18%Asian – 0.7% – 0.6%American Indian – 0.7% – 1.2%The Chattanooga Police Department’s sworn officers are 78 percent white and 18 percent black, according to police records. The city of Chattanooga, however, is about 58 percent white and about 35 percent black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
A blur of flying footballs, Frisbees and basketballs filled the night air in the hot gym in East Chattanooga.
Three dozen kids dashed around the floor, shouting, laughing and dodging rogue balls. Sleeping bags, suitcases and pillows were piled high next to the gym door behind a table where parents lined up to register their kids for the trip.
Danny Jones wandered through the fray, shaking hands, answering questions and cracking jokes. This was his idea – to take a group of kids, mostly black, mostly from inner-city neighborhoods, to a Christian summer camp in Missouri.
They planned to start the 12-hour drive to camp around 2 a.m., when the kids were worn out. At 11:20 p.m., Jones hollered for everyone to take a seat and the chaos quieted as about 40 kids lined the bleachers. Jones stood in front of the group.