JACKSON, Mich. — Jackson resident Diane Washington led the first Ward 1 Neighborhood Association and Watch meeting Thursday night at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center.
"It's an opportunity for the community and the city and organizations to work together, to bring the whole community together," Washington said. "As everybody comes together with their talents, skills, ideas, we can make this a better place."
Washington said another goal is increased public safety.
"Public safety is good. We want our community to be safe, healthy, vibrant, alive, working" Washington said. "All the parts of the community that's going to help our community is what we want to have."
The neighborhood is south of Morrell Street, west of Cooper Street, north of South Street and east of High Street.
Jackson Police Chief Sergio Garcia said the department doesn't organize crime statistics by ward, but these are the numbers for the city in 2022:
- 221 aggravated assaults
- 865 cases of simple assault
- 28 robberies
- 139 forced burglaries
- 146 auto thefts
- 21 cases of arson
- 139 reports of threats or stalking
- 481 reports of malicious destruction of property
- 281 hit-and-runs, motor vehicle
In total, there were 5,267 crimes committed in 2022. To put that in perspective, that is 17% of Jackson's total population of 31,347 residents.
"The residents of this city are tired of the violence," resident Nicole Taylor said. "I'm 46, so we're getting older, we're the next generation coming in and we want to protect our property. We also want to look out for our neighbor, so that's the whole purpose, to look out for the neighbor first."
The next Ward 1 Neighborhood Association and Watch meeting is May 4 at 6 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, and they're in need of many more volunteers.
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