IN TALKING to people about the rapid and horrifying deterioration of law and order in Savannah, one inarguable fact emerges above the political background noise:
Criminals here simply no longer fear the police.
As this past weekend showed, shootings and armed robberies are now pretty much a daily occurrence in Savannah’s Historic District, the economic engine that drives the whole train here.
You’re not safe in City Market or Ellis Square at night. You’re not safe walking to your car on Jones Street. You’re not safe in the middle of the afternoon near the Juliette Gordon Low House.
It’s only a matter of time—if that time isn’t already here—when the violence will become so commonplace it will seriously disrupt our tourism industry.
And then the dominoes will really begin to fall, one after the other.
Understaffing of police is one thing. A lot of things are understaffed. Connect Savannah is understaffed. But for us that’s baked in the cake—we knew that deal from the get-go.
(Also this: The most dangerous thing we hunt around here is a pair of errant scissors.)
But the understaffing of the local police department is actually one of the few problems we have that can be fixed by throwing more money at it. God knows the City of Savannah has the cash, there is a way forward, we just have to find the political will to do it.
(My own recommendation is to start by voting out every single incumbent on City Council.)
Even worse than the issue of police understaffing is the sense among criminals that they now have a larger and more effective support network than the police, than law-abiding people.
That’s why the previously sacrosanct Historic District is now a shooting gallery.
Make no mistake—that’s no accident. It’s a statement. Criminals are letting us know who’s in charge.
I understand I’m supposed to be quick to point out, as I’ve pointed out many times, that a shooting on the impoverished Westside should concern us at least as much as a shooting in the Historic District. Which is certainly true.
But we can be fair-minded without being naïve. And it’s naïve to think that a city largely dependent on the tourism industry can thrive when its major attraction is seen as too unsafe to visit.
I suppose the deep progressive argument would be that in order for all of us to feel the pain of the most impoverished and underprivileged among us, we must spread that pain around so that the most wealthy and privileged feel it, too. We must show in graphic terms that Savannah needs a more holistic economic approach other than promoting its downtown brand at the expense of our other neighborhoods.
That’s probably true in an academic, activist sense. However, in the Vietnam War there was a cynical euphemism for that way of thinking: “We had to burn down the village in order to save it.”
Savannah has been mired in either/or, black/white (literally) thinking for way too long. The truth is we have to find a way to address crime and address poverty simultaneously.
Anyone—rich, poor, white, black, liberal, conservative—who tells you the entire answer lies only on one end of that equation is part of the problem themselves.
Crime and poverty are connected not only in root cause but in root result: If we let crime get too far out of hand, we’ll all be in poverty soon enough.
Our village will indeed be burned to the ground.
We can start by being frank about this, and about the place we find ourselves. The worst sin is to become complacent.
I’ve noticed in this time of dire crisis that the police department and local media are seeking solace in euphemisms. Euphemisms, weasel words, and bureaucratic language mark the beginning of complacency.
For example, the death of Frank Wilson this past weekend after being shot near City Market is still being called a “shooting,” or a “fatal shooting.”
That it was. But a fatal shooting is a homicide. A murder.
It needs to be called that. Not just a “shooting,” fatal or otherwise.
I also see press releases now which talk about a “gun discharge.” Which is usually more accurately called “Attempted Murder.”
Sometimes we get information about a “cutting.” Which used to be known as “Stabbing.”
The euphemisms have to stop. Savannah doesn’t like being frank. We don’t like being forward. But there’s nothing more frank or more forward than a bullet.
The wrong people are in charge of Savannah now. And I’m not just talking about incumbent politicians.
To take back control of our government, we have to vote. To take back control of the debate, we have to take back control of the language and the ideas.
And to take back control of our streets, we have to take back control of fear. Ours, and theirs.
This article appears in Oct 21-27, 2015.
Yes the wrong people… Like the wrong DA among others.
As a resident of the Savannah area for over 45 years and law enforcement officer since 1978, I have to agree the violence in Savannah has not been this intense since the Ricky Givens era. Mr. Morekis is correct – there are no safe places any more. When I read about the most current Ellis Square shooting, I was quite surprised. VCA’s (Violent Criminal Actors) tend to look for less well traveled areas to select their victims. They are inclined to shun crowds, well-lit areas and potential victims who look like a ‘hard target’.
What it will take to get things under control is the hottest political topic going in Savannah right now – Increasing the number of Police Officers in certain areas, hiring more officers, higher pay, and new leaders – all good ideas. But as Mr. Morekis said, “A lot of things are understaffed.” My current agency is as well. The one commonality in all these potential solutions is time. It will take time to institute any of them and more time before any results are seen. This is not a “Burger King Situation” where we get it our way right away.
There are several points Mr. Morekis brings up which offer suggestions on how to remove ourselves from the current situation. I agree with but those are not my focus here. Several days ago Nikki Lee posted that a stolen vehicle was found because several individuals who had a description of the vehicle saw it, reported it and eventually were responsible for getting it recovered. I say ‘BRAVO”. But, in the hope I don’t offend anyone, to those same folks I say, “Where have you been?”
I for one have not yet ceded Savannah to the VCA’s out there nor am I prepared to burn it down. Our ‘gang’ is much larger than theirs. Again, Mr. Morekis states, “… the sense among criminals that they now have a larger and more effective support network than the police, than law-abiding people.” Here, here!! We as a community need to be more proactive in protecting ourselves. Collectively – Eastside, Westside, Southside and Downtown – we need to be ‘Threat Educated’ … Become a ‘crisis sensor’ meaning if you SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!
Learn what you can do to protect yourself – get trained. Get educated. I am offering my services to the group – collectively or individually. I have been doing what ‘I do’ for a long time and have seen what works and what doesn’t. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. (www.gtac.us – 912-667-5667)
I was planning to move my family back to Willmington last year but changed my mind. I love savannah with all my heart but I can’t raise my kids some place I don’t feel safe. Not only will we not be moving back but we don’t visit anymore. Whether it’s the bullets flying downtown or the attempted kidnappings and break-ins out on the islands, it’s not worth the risk. Several of our friends have moved away. Most moved to Pooler.
This problem stems, first and foremost, from a lack of leadership. The criminals are testing the city and the the city is quite simply, incompetent. Once the national news picks up on some of these recent incidents and Savannah is going to drop off the map of places to visit. My wife and I are both professional, we own numerous properties and businesses in Savannah, we live in the historic district and for the first time we are scared in our homes and worried about our property values. We’re considering moving to Charleston, where they have outperformed and overshadowed Savannah for years due to…..leadership!
Savannah is Progressive politics in action. I figured out that the Progressives are Regressives in high school. Until the “informed” Progressive voting public figures out that law-and-order is just one of the ideals that Conservatives want to preserve, Detroit is Savannah’s future…
I also live in a high-crime area just south of Atlanta. And I see that Savannah, like East Point and College Park, respond to their crime by concealing it. Of course that doesn’t fool anybody on the outside, but it does put residents in danger. If a city reports their crime stats to crimereportsdotcom or spotcrimedotcom, at least the residents know what’s going on. At least they can see that 3 cars were stolen on Tues. night, one street over from them. We had a crime town hall and City officials said if you SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. Bull! They “see” it all, but won’t let us know where and when crime is happening. Five years ago when I was looking at real estate on the net, I was lulled into complacency because my neighborhood showed almost no crime. I didn’t know the local police had to report those stats. It cost me my beloved ’93 Accord Wagon, about $600.00 and most of my front teeth.
Another thing that’s rarely mentioned is that once a kid drops out of school, they generally drop into crime. That kid who shot the tourist was on a predictable path long before he got that gun. There are successful anti-drop-out programs. They’re not cheap. Of course, the taxes on legalized weed could pay for them. And crime would drop immediately.