East Side called to cooperate in crime-fighting
Columnist James Ingram
The savage murder of a Centreville, Illinois policeman was dismissed as simply “a mistake.” At least that was the rationale of Lemuel “Twan” Houston following his arraignment for the murder of Lt. Greg Jonas.
However, it seems that the real “mistake” was that Houston wasn’t already incarcerated for the January 2008 shooting of a man following an argument at a party in Belleville, Ill.
Only one problem. The shooting victim failed to testify against Houston, allowing him the freedom to, ultimately, murder a cop in cold blood. This exemplifies the stupidity of the “no snitching” street code which is prevalent throughout the African-American community.
By all accounts (even from a few thugs), Lt. Jonas was a stand-up, decent police officer who even treated the not-so-upstanding citizens of Centreville fairly. He was contemplating retirement, only to have his life snuffed out by Houston who admitted that (because of his criminal past) he didn’t want to be charged with carrying a weapon.
So a good man is gone, the obligatory vigil has been observed, kind words have been uttered. Now what?
And that’s not to diminish the kind words spoken at Jonas’ funeral and vigil but, rather, to put all of this in perspective.
The vigil was well attended by community leaders from Centreville, East St. Louis, Alorton and Brooklyn. A lot of “tough talk” focused on the resolve of local law enforcement to end business as usual.
Brooklyn Police Chief Delbert Marion promised that police would be more vigilant in their patrols of Centreville, East St. Louis, Alorton Washington Park and Brooklyn.
Marion went on to promise, “We’re going to help you take back your streets. We’re going to get rid of the fools who are destroying neighborhoods. There will be no more dope selling, loud music or any of the things that cause crime.”
U.S Attorney A. Courtney Cox also weighed in, promoting a “red form” which would allow residents to anonymously report any illegal activities in their neighborhoods by filling out and mailing in their comments and observations.
It was a great moment, especially given that Jonas’ murderer was apprehended primarily because, for once, the community abandoned its “no snitching” mentality and cooperated with law enforcement.
However, this means nothing if the public reverts back to keeping their eyes and mouths closed after the next burglary, assault or murder.
Going forward, the zero-tolerance policy of local police combined with the full participation of the community will be what turns the lethal crime statistics around on the East Side of the Mississippi.
Otherwise, after the sorrow subsides and Lt. Jonas becomes a distant memory, Centreville and other hot spots will return to business as usual, resulting in a long, hot, lethal summer, particularly given the state of the economy.
It won’t be that way if police and citizens walk the talk, which flowed freely, from the mouths of mourners during Jonas’ funeral and vigil.
It’s just too bad a good man had to lose his life in order to inspire citizens and policemen to do what should have been doing all along.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com.