Despite a weekend of alarming gun violence that coincided with O’Bannon High School’s homecoming game, only a small number of residents attended a meeting of the City of Greenville Public Safety committee.
On Monday two members of the Greenville City Council and the mayor chaired a public safety committee meeting.
Ward Three Councilman and Vice-Mayor Vernon Greenlee, and Ward Five Councilman Dr. Bill Brozovich along with Mayor Errick Simmons heard from community members and officials, on a wide range of safety concerns following recent violent incidents.
Tammy Reed of St. Joseph Catholic School, Pastor Frank Hall, Joe Morris, and city leaders discussed solutions to protect residents from traffic hazards, gun violence, and overcrowded nightclubs and other establishments.
Reed, representing St. Joseph Catholic School, asked the committee for help with a dangerous traffic condition near the school.
Reed said there were many close calls as drivers used the eastbound lane of VFW Rd. to pass, creating hazards during drop-off and pick-up times.
She requested two daily, 30-minute time frames of police presence to manage traffic and reduce risks at pick-up and drop-off times.
“Our parents, when they pull out, can’t see if anyone’s passing on the wrong side of the road,” Reed said. “We’ve narrowly avoided head-on collisions several times.”
During the discussion on traffic control, Reed said school zone signage would improve safety.
However, a grant that she applied for to fund the $4,000 flashing traffic signs was unable to be secured due to a missed deadline.
Reed requested the city’s help in getting the signs, because without them drivers may not realize they are in a school zone.
Greenlee wanted to know where the ball was dropped on the grant funding and Reed said she had emailed the council back in August but never received a reply.
Simmons told Reed that a call to his office would have solved the communication issue.
Simmons said that at the next regular city council meeting they would put Reed’s issue on the agenda.
Next to the podium was Assistant Chief Kenneth Redfield, who presented the committee with a non-lethal option for police encounters, the pepper ball system.
The device launches pepper-filled rounds, dispersing a powder that causes temporary respiratory irritation and slows suspects down.
Redfield said that the pepper ball system allows officers to de-escalate situations from a safe distance, reducing the need for lethal force.
“This system gives officers a non-lethal option when there’s a risk of deadly force,” Redfield said. “It provides distance, which can help de-escalate without having to move immediately to a lethal response.”
He added that the pepper ball system is especially useful when dealing with individuals with mental health issues, giving officers more control in high-stakes situations.
After Redfield finished his presentation Pastor Frank Hall brought Joe Morris up to the podium That’s when the meeting took a serious turn, Morris, a Greenville resident, told the committee that his mother’s house was hit by gunfire early on a Sunday morning, and the bullets struck her bedroom while she was lying in bed.
“They were shooting right into the room where she was,” Morris said. “My mother’s 82 years old and bedridden, I had to move her out of her own home to keep her safe.”
Morris said he was deeply frustrated and angry about the situation around his mother’s house, and asked the committee why people who openly carried firearms weren’t stopped.
Redfield and the mayor explained that, under Mississippi’s open carry laws, police officers need probable cause or a specific threat to intervene.
“Police can’t just stop everyone carrying a gun,” Redfield explained. “Without probable cause, it’s a constitutional right to move freely, and state law allows open carry.”
Still, Morris pressed for stronger measures, suggesting a citywide curfew to reduce the risk of gun violence, especially at night.
He argued that a curfew could prevent some violent crime, even if it wouldn’t eliminate it entirely.
“Nothing good happens after midnight,” Morris said. “Maybe it’s time we put some boundaries in place to protect the people in this community.”
Simmons and Redfield both expressed openness to the curfew idea, but they said there was a need for careful consideration.
Redfield said that any curfew would have to be enforced in a way that respects citizens’ rights and doesn’t infringe on businesses.
“We’re going to look into how effective it would be,” Redfield said. “The community’s safety comes first, but we have to balance that with lawful enforcement.”
Simmons said the city was about to start its gun buyback program, and there were currently two initiatives in place to hold parents accountable for their children’s actions and to stop gun violence through community involvement.
Brozovich said he sympathized with Morris and asked him to please attend the next public safety meeting.
“If that were my mother, I’d be upset too,” Brozovich said. “We’re going to meet with the police and come up with a plan, but please come to the next meeting so we can discuss this further”
Next Fire Chief Ruben Brown discussed another safety risk, overcrowded nightclubs.
Brown said some venues exceeded their capacity limits, often allowing patrons to bring their own alcohol, which creates additional safety hazards.
“We can come in and close a place down if it’s a public safety concern,” Brown said. “But if it continues to happen we need regular spot checks from the police and fire departments and stricter policies in place.”
As the meeting concluded Simmons said that everything discussed at the meeting was going to be considered further in the next council meeting.
“We’re not going to sit back,” Simmons said. “We’re here to protect lives, and that means listening to our community.”
