It's been a violent week in the area. There have been eight shootings in eight days in Metro Baton Rouge. A 25-year-old man was shot on South Flannery last Friday. On Saturday, a female was shot on Old Hammond Highway. Sunday, two teens were shot on Azalea Park Drive. One of them died. Tuesday a man was shot on Pitcher Street. By Tuesday evening, a man had been shot and killed on Kaufman Street. Thursday night, a shooting in Baker left a 19-year-old dead. Also Thursday, a man on Mulberry Street threatened a police officer with a gun and was shot.
Community leaders say they are fed up. Mayor Kip Holden says he's ready to offer up some choices to people who solve their problems with gunfire. He says they can go to jail or straighten up. The mayor says he has no problem sticking the "problems" behind bars. In fact, he says his next solution is to have even more patrols on the streets. WAFB's Tyana Williams talked with Mayor Holden and a minister who both say it's time young people start acting as though their lives have value.
After days and days of seeing webs of police tape, Mayor Kip Holden has seen enough. He says, "We tried to use the carrot. Now, we use the stick quite a bit." He's ready to move more officers in and the "tough guys" out to put an end to the bloody scenes witnessed this week. Both the sheriff's office and Baton Rouge city police say their teams are out trying to control the crime.
Leo Cyrus, the pastor of New Hope Baptist says "First of all, go back to the Ten Commandments, thou shalt not kill." The minister says when things like this happen, the blame falls on the community, the parents, and the individual, not the police. He says, "You not a thug. God didn't create a thug. You're a human being. God created you to be the best you can be and a thug is not the best you can be. Lowest thing you can be."
As far as the mayor putting people in jail, he says he'll do it, if that's what the younger crowd needs because he's not playing around anymore. They're still getting their plan together, but we should see them out more in the community.

Source: WAFB