Mar. 8 community meeting scheduled to address juvenile violence

A public meeting is scheduled to be held at the Ardis T. Williams Sr. Auditorium in Vicksburg at 6 p.m. on March 8. The meeting is aimed at receiving input from residents on the development of a program to tackle juvenile violence in the area.

To address this issue, Mayor George Flaggs Jr. formed a committee consisting of 10 members, charged with creating a strategy to combat juvenile violence by using a multi-prong approach of education, prevention, intervention, parental coaching, family counseling, and other relevant factors.

In a press release on earlier this month, Flaggs announced ten members of the Committee:

• Vicksburg Police Chief Penny Jones – Chairwoman
• Felicia Kent, CHAMPIONS-COVID-19 Advancing Health Literacy Project
• Anessia Martin, City of Vicksburg – Human Resources
• Cedric Magee, Vicksburg Warren School District
• Cindy McCarley, Good Shepherd of Vicksburg
• Rachel hardy, Warren County Youth Court
• Carla Sullivan-Sanders, Medgar & Angela Scott Community Life Center
• Dexter Jones, Warren County
• Joe Johnson, Central Mississippi Prevention Services
• General Bryant, Travelers Rest Christian Academy

Mayor Flaggs stated earlier in February, “This is the first step in taking care of the future of Vicksburg. We intend to focus on the mental, psychological, and behavioral safety and well-being of the children in the City of Vicksburg. This Committee is dedicated to that common goal.”

The committee is also expected to develop a youth program comprising of juveniles recommended by the Warren County Youth Court and Vicksburg Warren School District. Additionally, the committee will address the mental, psychological and behavioral safety and well-being of the city’s youth and monitor chronic absenteeism to decrease the dropout rate.

Mayor Flaggs Jr. is also exploring the option of using the vacant Vicksburg-Warren Chamber of Commerce building on Mission 66 and officials are in talks with its president and CEO, Pablo Diaz, about leasing the building. A lease proposal will be presented to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen during its March 6 meeting.