Lynchburg: Violence in the City

WSET is reporting:

"She calls herself a prisoner in her own home. A Lynchburg woman who says she's tried to rid her neighborhood of gangs and drug dealers. But she's says all it's gotten her is aggravation and tens of thousands of dollars in property damage."

The News and Advance is reporting:

"Lynchburg police are searching for the person who shot a 15-year-old boy on Florida Avenue on Tuesday." (Drive by shooting)

These are the events that are happening in the city were we live. We are not a large city compared to many across the country, but we are wrapped in the tragedy of crime and drugs. I would like you to look inwardly for a moment and think of all the people you know that have been affected by crime, violence and drugs. Even in our small city, the problem has been escalting, and I do not think you have to think hard about how this growing problem has made a serious impact on you or your friends.

Dealing with this problem is both frustrating and seems to elude solution. The police are frustrated and so are the citizens. And the problem is growing in scope and magnitude. There are more gangs in Lynchburg and you can see them walking the streets in their colors, and their are more shootings, more dangerous drugs, and more fear in the general population of Lynchburg. Many will not even walk the streets at night, and are cautious during day.

At least 50 percent of the city is under siege by these domestic terrorists. And make no mistake it is terrorism. Gang members, and those loosely associated with gangs are causing a tragic consequence for the many who like to live peacefully in our city.

When I have talked to some friends that work in the Lynchburg Police Department, it is easy to see and feel their frustration. They catch drug users and drug dealers all of the time, but there are more out there, like a well stocked trout pond. They are not even succeeding in putting a dent in the problem. They may arrest one, but each they arrest there are perhaps a hundred more that go un-arrested.

There are neighborhoods were you can live, and avoid most contact near your home with this problem of violence and drugs. Are you rich? Pretty much that is what it takes to move out of the crime ridden areas in Lynchburg.

But if you are like many who have no choice, you have to deal, see, and confront an urban jungle of lawlessness that is growing every day.

In future posts, I am going to tell you how to become active in the this domestic war that is emerging in Lynchburg. I would like to make one suggestion to you right now. If you are even a causal user of drugs, stop. You may not think that casual drug use is harmful to you, but you are building the machine that makes gangs. And you are helping buy the bullets that end up in the backs of fifteen year old boys.