Shreveport has had 44 homicides this year.
Several recent victims of gunshots are in critical condition.
The mayor has issued statements condemning violence.
The police chief has said that a small number of bad guys are to be blamed.
Public officials have called for citizens with knowledge of recent murder perpetrators to give information anonymously.
There have been various prayer vigils in neighborhoods directly affected by the violence.
A new initiative was launched last Friday by three council members--James Green, Tabatha Taylor and Alan Jackson.
These three did not invite the chair of the public safety committee (councilman Grayson Boucher), a former law enforcement official (councilman Jim Taliaferro), or the councilman representing the area where the downtown violence occurred (Gary Brooks) to be sponsors of this new initiative.
Council member Ursula Bowman was invited to the press conference but did not attend.
Mayor Arceneaux was also out of town on Friday.
The new initiative is dubbed Now Peace. It will feature ribbons to be placed around the city at various locations in an effort to keep the message in people’s minds.
It was also announced that a Now Peace rally would be held at Airport Park to bring the community together.
Any efforts to reduce crime in the city, especially violent crime, are to be commended.
Most of the murders have been black on black crime and perhaps that was the reason only black council members were included as sponsors.
However, having only three of seven elected officials at the kickoff does not reflect unity.
But then the agenda of Green, Taylor and Jackson this year has been more of self-promotion and the black majority on the council versus leadership cohesiveness.
To date the combined efforts of these three who are usually joined by Bowman have begrudgingly supported the agenda of Mayor Arceneaux, seemingly more out of position of showing power versus the good of the city.
The most recent example is the failure to promptly confirm the most experienced municipal law attorney in north Louisiana as an assistant city attorney to assist a very talented but basically neophyte municipal lawyer who is the city attorney.
Power in the sense of a voting majority is only an asset if wisely used. To date, the verdict is out on the "success" of the black majority council.
The press conference on a slow news day get good media coverage, but other than that the results are yet to be determined.