Richmond Officials Reject "State Of Emergency" Proposal

[align=left]Richmond Officials Reject "State Of Emergency" Proposal[/align]
[align=left]KTVU | June 23 2005
[/align]
After hours of emotional debate, the Richmond City Council voted early Wednesday against declaring a local state of emergency in its most violent neighborhoods.

The council voted 6-3 in opposition of the declaration, which its proponents claimed would open up state and federal funding options for crime prevention and suppression programs.

Instead, the council approved almost $1 million for the establishment of community center programs and nearly $500,000 to help police get more guns off the streets.

The council heard from scores of residents Tuesday night at a standing-room-only meeting that drew hundreds of people. Discussion was punctuated by boos, cheers, yelling and often unruly behavior, and 80 people vied for time at the podium to speak for and against the plan.

Mayor Irma Anderson supported increased funding for police and more help from state, county and federal law enforcement to stem the violence, but was opposed to the declaration.

"A local declaration of emergency is used when you want to bring in the National Guard, impose curfews and suspend constitutional rights and due-process procedures," she said. "I do not believe that any of those actions would resolve the crisis we currently face."

Richmond has reported 17 killings in the city this year, compared to 36 slayings in 2004. Eight people have been killed in Richmond in the past two weeks. Police say some of the violence this year has been caused by increasing gang rivalries and errant gunfire.

"This madness has got to end," said the Rev. Andre Shumake, who works at the North Richmond Missionary Baptist Church. "You've got to understand -- innocent people are being killed. We're tired of this carnage."

While many mourning family members carrying signs with photos of slain loved ones urged the council to adopt the resolution, the city's mayor and some of the council members spoke out against it.

Anderson said the move could lower property values, increase homeowner insurance and discourage outside private investment. She also said the resolution "gets us dangerously close to the path of a perpetual police state controlled by big brother."

"This declaration does not provide any long-term solutions to our problems," Anderson added. "We need a far more comprehensive and strategic approach to the problem, not a short-term Band-Aid solution."

Anderson also pointed out that crime has fallen 6.7 percent since last year and nonfatal shootings are down over the past decade.

Maria Viramontes, the councilwoman who proposed the failed declaration, said she was disappointed the plan was denied but "at least we have the programs and the funding -- maybe not the state of emergency."