A group of Black mayors and officials from some of the nation's largest cities will meet in Memphis to discuss their most effective crime strategies, reports USA Today. The new Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime (BMCC), initiated by Memphis Mayor Paul Young, will address crime and homicide starting Wednesday. The U.S. in 2023 experienced one of the largest single-year reductions in crime since modern record-keeping began around 1960. But homicide rates are still higher than pre-pandemic levels. "It's really, really hard to feel like there's a decrease in crime in Memphis right now because our homicides have just been popping the way that they are," Memphis Police Public Information Officer Theresa Carlson said.
City leaders hope to use the meeting to share the strategies they are using to combat crime. In New York, hundreds of National Guard members are searching people's bags for weapons in the subway stations, and Mayor Eric Adams said "it's not just about keeping people safe, it's also making sure they feel safe."Both New York and Memphis had roughly the same number of homicides last year. Karren Lane, the Los Angeles deputy mayor for community service, said she wants to share with her peers how LA reduced gang-related homicides by 26%, which could help other cities replicate it. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said her city effort's led to a 21% drop in homicide, but said "we still have a ways to go."