I had the distinct honor of serving as the host for 1310 AM The Light's radio show "Community Conversations," which was formerly "Afternoons with Amos."
Amos Brown was a media icon and trailblazer who was dedicated to our community. He was the voice for the voiceless. His unexpected passing has left a huge void in our city. How do you fill the shoes of a man who spent 40 years championing the causes of the underserved?
You don't.
But Radio One remains committed to providing a forum for residents to discuss the issues and topics that are important to the black community. In that spirit, I, along with a number of community activists, pastors, and other media personalities have committed ourselves to honor Brown's legacy by continuing to host the show, because our community deserves to be heard.
Like Amos did many times before, we discussed the issue of our city's crime epidemic. Indianapolis made history in 2015 with over 140 homicides - the largest ever. In this, the first full week of our newly elected Mayor Joe Hogsett, who says his number one priority is reducing crime, I invited his newly appointed Deputy Mayor Dr. David Hampton, who also serves as Pastor of Light Of The World Christian Church.
He says he plans to bring together the faith community across the city to help combat crime. Dr. Hampton took the opportunity to hear from listeners about their solutions to crime which include increased volunteerism; after-school programs for youth; incentives for companies to hire offenders; improved community policing; and mental health assistance.
My other guest was colleague and WTHR Crime Beat Reporter Steve Jefferson, who reiterated the need for the community to speak up when they see suspicious behavior and share with police any tips they may have that can solve crimes. Jefferson also informed listeners that new Police Chief Troy Riggs says there are 1,400 outstanding warrants and that over 90 people who have committed major crimes in our city are still on the run and need to be apprehended, which will greatly reduce the crime wave. Jefferson also reiterated that people can call the anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at 262-TIPS to share what they know with police.
Stay tuned to see how you can participate in neighborhood and community events designed to address the quality of life issues that Riggs says directly impact crime in our city.
