Twelve homicides in Jackson bring a ‘Counter Culture’ movement
JACKSON, Tenn. — Twelve homicides in Jackson so far this year have community officials calling for change. Saturday night, they brought together the city of Jackson for a concert and a chance to meet city leaders. “We go into our urban communities and really talk about positive influence and really try to give people hope,” Dr. William L. Harris, IV said. Dr. Harris, founder of the Counter Culture movement, said he hopes people will catch on to it. It’s a movement that allows young people to start conversations and get to know city officials. “It gives people, with all of the crime going on in Jackson, something to look forward to,” Erica Robinson, a volunteer at the event, said. Thousands came to the Oman Arena for a night of praise and worship and to hear Grammy winning artist Tye Tibbett perform, among other artists. “[I’m looking forward to] seeing him sing songs and actually getting to meet him,” said Kingston Golden, a big fan of Tibbett. Golden and his family traveled to see the show, but they said they were also looking forward to a positive message. “With this right here, maybe it will let people see that fighting, crime on crime, will cease and maybe they’ll see something good in it,” attendee Betty Golden explained. Dr. Harris said getting city leaders to attend and speak to young people is a proactive approach to a growing problem that’s nationwide. “Right now in the light of the Ferguson situation in Missouri, a lot of our young people really are sensitive about that, and they don’t really understand what happened in the after-effects. We thought right now would be a great way to be proactive and get them together and prevent that type of action. Harris said he’s looking forward to more events like this across the United States. The event in Jackson is the second one he and his team have hosted.
