Committee on Violent Crime Reviews Goals at 1st Meeting

A city afflicted with a record annual homicide rate has served up a vexing array of issues for San Diego’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Violent Crime, a gathering of law enforcement, civic and political leaders who met for the first time Wednesday.

Among the issues raised was the aptness of the committee’s name.

“When I saw the words blue ribbon , they bothered me,” said Andre Henderson, a committee member and president of the Baptist Ministers Union. “Blue-ribbon folks can’t understand what is happening with crime in San Diego. A lot of these folks don’t ride the streets. They ride freeways, and they pass by without seeing what the people on the street need.”

Meeting in the Stadium Club at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, 30 committee members introduced themselves, listened to guidelines set forth by a pair of hired consultants and briefly discussed their proposed mission statement:

“To examine the violent crime in San Diego and develop strategies to reduce violent crime using resources from the entire community.”

Arthur Ellis, a San Diego State University professor of sociology, said the committee must also address how society begets violent crime. He suggested that it examine the acceptance of violence in the media and entertainment.

“We don’t want to get so focused on gang disputes and drug abuse,” Ellis said. “To deal with the kind of violence you see patterned in crime requires that you deal with violence at the basic fabric of our society.”

The Rev. James Hargett, president of the Southeast Ministerial Alliance, said the mission statement should also include the issue of force used by law enforcement.

“There are communities (of color) where people are just as concerned about the police’s legally mandated use of force that is often excessive and irresponsible,” Hargett said.

Harry Eastus, executive director for the Police Officer’s Assn., said the discussion should involve more of the officers who will be affected.