What’s the answer to crime in our city? Bibb community members wrestle with the violence

Grappling with violence, including 28 homicides so far this year in Bibb County, people gathered Saturday to worship, pray and seek counsel from community leaders.

The citywide prayer breakfast at Glorious Hope Baptist Church on Napier Avenue was geared to develop practical solutions for how the church community can help offset crime and violence. The theme: “Crime in Our City ... What’s the Answer?”

The 90-minute session before breakfast opened with worship songs and prayers offered by deacons of different churches for pastors, families of victims, all churches and the nation.

Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones read off the names of each homicide victim one by one. He talked about the absence of positive leadership and structure in the home.

“We need everybody in this community to step up to the plate,” said Jones, who also noted the need of working in one accord.

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis talked about the need of people in the community to reach out to families struggling with teenagers who are hanging out with the wrong crowd and not listening to their parents.

Davis applauded efforts of those assembled and other churches that provide outreach programs to youth and urged others to join the fight to reach young people.

He also suggested a coordinated effort in which a different church every week could reach out to the community.

“Look in your own congregations for families that are struggling,” Davis said. “Families that the mother or father says, ‘I just don’t know what I’m going to do with him ... or with her.’ ... Help that family to make a better way.

“We all need to renew our efforts and gird ourselves for the fight ahead. It may begin in the home, but let’s have it end in the church in our community,” Davis said.

Incoming Macon-Bibb County Civil-Magistrate Judge Pam White-Colbert talked about how family members prayed for her as she was coming up and how people in her church and her neighborhood took an interest in her and helped her along the way.

Noting the impact of that on her own life, White-Colbert said people need to do the same in their families, churches and neighborhoods.

“It’s not about where you came from, but where you’re headed,” she said.

White-Colbert talked about reaching children in elementary school and noted the importance of prayer.

“The church should not lose direction,” she said. “Prayer is the answer. You may not can go in the neighborhood but you can pray - every day ... If you won’t pray, who will?”

Macon-Bibb County’s Solicitor-General Rebecca Grist spoke about the need to reach out to offenders and their families.

Her office interacts with misdemeanor offenders who are just coming into the criminal justice system.

“There are so many opportunities for grace,” Grist said. “People lose their way ... Yeah, there are some bad people. Yes, sometimes I can’t be successful.

“But a lot of times I can. So, I think it’s so important that when someone messes up, that we allow the opportunity for grace,” she said.

Grist noted programs for youth such as a class to help offenders to start making good choices and the need of addressing the underlying issues of crimes. She noted domestic violence that is often fueled by alcohol or drug addiction.

Author Harold Michael Harvey, who grew up in Macon, talked about the need of the community to address underlying social and economic problems of violence.

“We can blame kids for being bad, but as adults, have we neglected our responsibility to provide the economic prosperity, to provide new jobs?” Harvey asked.

This story was originally published September 1, 2018 at 2:45 PM.