Surrounded by a phalanx of African-American ministers, the Rev. Bill Adkins of Greater Imani Church stood in front of the Memphis Public Library last Friday afternoon. He quoted new dismal statistics about overnight killings in some Black neighborhoods of Memphis and uttered a call to action.
“What are we going to do?” he asked. “Why aren’t we upset? Why aren’t we as angry about the shooting of the little children in Memphis as we were about the shooting of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky? Why aren’t we as angry as we are about the death of George Floyd and the trial of his murderers. Why are we not angry? I’m asking the citizens of Memphis to develop a righteous indignation of holy anger!”
Adkins has a standing in the larger community of Memphis, well-earned from his long-term immersion in the affairs of the city. In 1991, he was instrumental in the call to action that resulted in the waves of Black voters who made Willie Herenton the first elected African-American mayor in Memphis history. He hosted a radio show for years that drove home the unmet needs of Memphis. And here he was again, at a time of crisis, sounding the alarm. The following distillation of his remarks indicates how it went:
“We should be willing to open our mouth and we should be willing to testify,” Adkins said. “We should be willing to turn people in. It’s not snitching. We should be willing to do the things necessary to rid our communities of the violence that is taking hold. We have communities that are worse than some communities in Iraq, worse than communities in war zones.
“We need forums, town hall meetings, honest discussions regarding the real problems that we have here in Memphis. We need more community policing, neighborhood watch stations, police stations. We need more church involvement to offer collective alternatives for youth, such as sports programs, summer camps, job training. We need to hold our elected officials accountable, along with our boards. But most importantly, we must care!
“I was born in an impoverished neighborhood; everybody was poor. Poverty was never an excuse to kill. … We have problems and we know our problems. We have socio-economic problems. But we can’t stop making excuses for rapid crime that’s hitting the lives of citizens every day. We’ve got to stop worrying about the problems that existed forever before.”
Adkins insisted that his listeners needed to take personal responsibility. “We are guilty of the crime that is in our midst. We don’t fall asleep by the raindrops falling down on the roof every night. We fall asleep by gunshots. And it’s not one night. Not just tonight, every night. Every night they fear for their life.”
Adkins addressed himself to the passage of a state law allowing permitless carry of handguns. “This constitutional carry law is ridiculous. All that means is more guns are gonna be in the hands of people who don’t need them. People are going to have these guns stolen out of their cars. They’re going to be taken from them. If you haven’t had training with a gun, it’s just as good for you as a paperweight. People think that they are trained. It’s one of the worst ideas from one of the worst governors we’ve ever had.”
Adkins addressed the current search for a new leader of the Memphis Police Department. “We are looking for a police director. He or she will have to be a very, very special person. … one who will be a presence in our community and not a military person. And for the purpose of community support, [we need] a presence of police officers who show, not just their badge and their gun, but their heart and their intent and their good nature.
“We must hold everybody accountable. From the mayor down to city council and county commission. And not only do we hold them accountable, we’ve got to look at our own responsibility for funding the programs, resources, and community education. You can bite the bullet and deal with the budget. We’ve got to have jobs. We’ve got to find activities. We’ve got to teach them. We’ve got to help the parents.”