By: Chris Kracman • Caddo Commissioner District 1
Since the dwindling down of COVID-19 no one would have expected to see a “public health emergency”. And when it hit our Caddo Commission agenda my first thoughts were “Southern border” or maybe “Fentanyl”. But when I read “Detriment of Gun Violence”, it certainly struck me as odd.
This resolution is now set for a third time to be voted on Thursday, April 4.
Most conservative media outlets and radio hosts have raised concern for this being a “blackeye” on visitors to the Parish. Their worry is that when people Google “visiting Caddo Parish”
they will pull up a long list of links suggesting we’re in a “state of emergency due to gun violence.” This is a fair concern. This will negate any positive impact of the high dollar Welcome to Caddo Parish signs on I-49 installed by the last group of Commissioners.
I can speculate on the implications of the passage of this resolution. I can remember the repercussions of our prior Governor’s state of health emergency. Businesses shut and arbitrary mandates were shoved on citizens including a mask mandate by our Caddo Commission.
Commissioner Burrell has stated that people are confusing a state of emergency with martial law. Historically speaking it’s certainly hard to decipher the difference.
Almost everyone is confident that Governor Landry will not sign such an odd request. Having said that, I have three important questions: 1. What’s the agenda at hand? 2. If it’s based on federal funding, funding for what exactly? 3. How much actual business of the parish has taken a sideline for this one, seemingly perpetual agenda item?
The author of the proposed public health emergency Commissioner Gage-Watts went on a local podcast this past week. She was accompanied by Commissioners Burrell, Cothran and former Commissioner Steffon Jones who was elected to his prior seat this past Saturday.
Gage-Watts stated that “declaring a State of Public Health Emergency is the start of a three-prong process that will initiate federal and state funds. We’re treating symptoms but not treating causes.” Presumably this means that any funding received would be appropriated to community
programs such as mental health, after school, litter, and blight abatement. This is the new way of passively saying “defund the police.”
Gage-Watts then said “80% of our youth will not die of natural causes. They will die from gun violence.” I am unsure where that statistic came from since I doubt that the overwhelming majority of our youth population is now deceased.
Her last thought was “the Parish cannot declare a state of emergency. The state must do this.
And we know, where we stand right now it will not pass. But at least we won’t stand here and pretend like we’re not going to do anything. We’re going to continue to put forward resolutions like this.
“To me this screams posturing, as if to say, “so long as we’re talking about it people will think We’re doing something.”
Next up on the podcast was Commissioner Roy Burrell. He said “‘they’ always use an attack on our second amendment rights. They have become insensitive. You don’t get the support you really need from our Republican counterparts. If you flood our neighborhoods with guns like ‘they’ did with crack cocaine like ‘they’ did in the 1980’s, then crime increases exponentially.”
Burrell did not identify ‘they’ nor provide any facts to support his statements.
The Commission has yet to hear any arguments on this emergency resolution since it’s been postponed twice. The same is true on any argument for the resolution being an attack on second amendment rights.
I had no idea the Republican party was doing a gun giveaway. But if anyone sees this “free gun” truck rolling around please tell the driver District 1 wants their part! Best I can figure,
Commissioner Burrell has not identified any actual problems. He just creates imaginary ones hoping people listening won’t fact check.
Gage-Watts wrapped up saying “I have been called here by God. I have watched things in my community I will not stand for. So, when you go to vote you vote for people like me. Everything I do is with passion. I am not a puppet on a string. I have decided to lay my life down. I love the city of Shreveport. I could be anywhere. But I chose Shreveport.”
Wow...what bold and honorable statements. Statements that beg the question: What’s the next political leap for Commissioner Gage-Watts? Must be something big to have a stump speech four years before our terms are up. It surely must be something for the city and not our Parish.
The parish took a backseat in her monologue.
Now to answer my last question. What have we, the Commission, accomplished since this item has been postponed twice since it was introduced March 4? We’ve adopted one road, approved the sale of a few adjudicated properties, reenacted laws specific to political signage, made two appointments, rezoned one property. funded housing vouchers as well as a feeding program.
In short, we’ve only rubber stamped a handful of items. In four meetings your Commission has only addressed 30 minutes of actual legislation. The other 75% of our time has been spent recognizing citizens with Resolutions of Special Recognition. Most of these were introduced by none other than Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts, --eight to be precise. Each resolution requires tedious work of the Commission Clerk, not the person introducing them.
It’s evident that being shot is indeed a “Detriment to Health”. It’s also evident the detriment lies within the city limits of Shreveport where the Parish of Caddo’s has jurisdiction but has its hands tied. Where the City of Shreveport has its own police department.
This Commissioner only wishes to do the business of my constituents. I’m begging my colleagues to abandon the cameras and headlines. Abandon buzz words and subjects. So that, by chance, we could do the work we were elected to do.