Montgomery’s Ongoing Crime Dilemma

Opinions about crime in Montgomery are everywhere. People say “thugs” are rampant. They claim city leaders should take more action. There’s also a narrative around the black mayor needing to manage his community. Critics often suggest that the judges and police should keep criminals behind bars.

Listening to the ongoing debate about what went wrong in Montgomery—and who’s to blame—can be truly exhausting.

What no one seems eager to discuss is that Montgomery’s issues have persisted for years.

During Todd Strange’s tenure as mayor, the murder rate climbed steadily. The same trend was seen under Bobby Bright and Emory Foreman. Each of these leaders, along with the current mayor, Stephen Reed, have faced significant spikes in violence. Strange saw his spike in 2013, when the city recorded its highest number of murders—50—in over three decades. Bright’s increase was noted in 2007, while Reed’s surge coincided with the pandemic, which saw a nationwide rise in violent crime. After a relatively calm year in 2019, Montgomery witnessed 68 murders in 2020, followed by an even more shocking 77 in 2021. These figures have seen a slight decrease in recent years.

This points to a deep-rooted problem. It’s been growing and festering for decades.

A child born in Montgomery in the 1990s or early 2000s attended one of the country’s most isolated school systems. This child was enrolled in a public school lacking economically stable families, and even found themselves in a so-called “quarantine academy,” where academically proficient peers were virtually nonexistent.

Many of these children came from families grappling with severe generational poverty. Others faced the repercussions of various crimes, supported by a well-documented history of incarcerating the state’s poorest citizens.

Classrooms were overcrowded. I vividly recall witnessing a class with over 40 students—some had to sit against the walls due to a lack of desks. Sharing textbooks was the norm. And technology? Don’t get me started.

While all this was happening, city officials systematically stripped away support structures that could have steered at-risk youth toward positive pathways. Community centers were closed, eliminating safe spaces for children to receive guidance, play sports, and engage with authority figures, including police officers who once regularly played basketball with them.

Additionally, funding for middle school sports programs was cut dramatically, which led to layoffs of coaches who acted as surrogate parents, ensuring kids got home safely, found meals, and stayed away from negative influences.

POOF—it all vanished overnight.

As these support systems were dismantled, can you guess what fledged in abundance?

Guns.

I’ll never forget covering a murder at one of the housing projects in Montgomery. A woman took $20 from me to illustrate just how prevalent firearms were in the area. She vanished for a bit and then returned with a .38 caliber revolver, handing it over to me.

I passed it to a nearby officer, sharing the story. His response? “She probably just needed her change.”

Ever wonder why there was a shooting in downtown Montgomery the other night?

It stems from generations of neglect, disregard, and the constant denial of consequences stemming from our collective failure to support children. We didn’t just let them down; we actively failed them. Their parents, society, schools, safety nets, and even my own friends and neighbors contributed to this failure.

With all this disappointment surrounding them, these kids often felt that this was the life they were destined for. In the absence of positive role models, they sought solace and connection where they could find it. They looked to gangsters and other hurt individuals, thinking this was the easiest route to what they desperately needed.

Instead of lessons in algebra and chemistry, they were learning violence and frustration. They figured out how to earn respect and navigate survival. Sadly, the tools are quite accessible.

Ironically, gun manufacturers and politicians have exploited these kids’ fears in their campaigns to sell weapons that now devastate city streets.

But let’s clarify: it wasn’t specifically the gun that triggered that shooting. It wasn’t alcohol, a lack of police presence, or even the mayor’s actions. No single factor can shoulder the blame.

The real culprit is a systemic failure to nurture these young people, a cycle that continues to perpetuate.

Because, frankly, a cherished child doesn’t just recklessly fire shots into a crowd of innocent people. That just doesn’t happen.

To genuinely tackle this issue, we need to stop failing these kids who deserve safety and opportunities. It’s time to acknowledge our roles in this mess. Indifference, poor policy choices, and societal judgment have all contributed.

You can’t simply lock people away and expect it to solve the problem. An overwhelming police presence won’t magically fix things, either.

Many young people are indifferent to their own lives and those of others because no one has cared for them.

Let’s begin from this point.