If a tree falls in Columbus, does it make a sound?
The answer is yes. In fact, apparently it can be heard as far away as Tupelo.
A few days ago, a Tupelo daycare informed the Columbus Arts Council it would not attend a CAC’s Young People Artist Series program because some parents are afraid of “all of the shootings and violence in Columbus.”
While we are hesitant to add an air of legitimacy to these fears, the daycare’s decision is worthy of scrutiny.
So we ask: Has our community become the war zone those parents suggest? Do Columbus residents or visitors take their lives into their hands each time they venture from the relative safety of our homes? Are they routinely accosted by criminals? Are the familiar sounds of the city interrupted by the staccato of gunfire?
Our own experience and the crime data suggests that is not the case.
Columbus, like all cities and towns, is not without violence, of course. We are naturally concerned when we hear of such crimes, and we want to be reassured our police department is effective in its efforts to prevent crime.
But we must also use our good judgment, too.
In November, the Columbus Police Department opened a Twitter account in an effort to create more transparency with citizens. Since then, the CPD has used that account to inform citizens of all manner of police work – from street closings to auto accidents to criminal incidents.
The unintended consequence is more information has led to a perception that crime is on the rise here.
CPD officials say the data does not support that conclusion, however. It’s not that there is more crime; it’s that we are simply hearing about crimes that might not have otherwise gained much public attention.
If it is any reassurance to those daycare parents in Tupelo, they should note that making the drive down Highway 45 is not taking much of a risk, comparatively speaking. The organization Neighborhood Scout points out that, according to the FBI and the Department of Justice, there were 165 violent crimes committed in Tupelo, compared to 156 violent crimes in Columbus during the latest available reporting period.
For Columbus residents, of course, the best evidence is all around us. We see people walking around downtown, at the Riverwalk, at our other parks and in our business districts and neighborhoods. They give no indication that they are fearful for their safety.
There are some, of course, who seem to derive some perverted pleasure in the false narrative of a “city under siege.” Undoubtedly, there are others who are honestly unnerved by the violence they are hearing more about than before.
But we all have a choice to make.
We can either lock ourselves away in prisons of our own design, or we can choose to live our lives and enjoy what our city has to offer with the knowledge that while crime exists, it exists everywhere, and that with reasonable precautions, we need not fear.
A little common sense goes an awfully long way, in this respect.
When reason gives way to paranoia, we create the very world we fear.
And that Columbus is a far more dangerous place than the real Columbus.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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