Alexandria, LA (9/17/2024) — The Alexandria City Council convened on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, for its regular meeting, addressing a slate of routine business, including landscape maintenance contracts, city projects, and waste management bids. However, as the city reels from a devastating spike in violent crime and two recent tragedies, residents were left dismayed by the council’s failure to address the ongoing public safety crisis.
Just days ago, the community was shaken by the tragic shooting of 12-year-old Hope Alexandria Coleman, who was killed by gunfire in her own home on Cypress Street early Saturday morning. Her death has left the city mourning the loss of a vibrant, young life cut short by senseless violence. But as the council met for its scheduled session, not a single word was said by the mayor or the seven council members about the increasing violence, nor about the death of Hope—a silence that has left many in the community feeling abandoned.
As the city struggles to cope with Hope’s death, tragedy struck again early this morning. A 17-year-old was killed, and two others were critically injured in a vaguely explained early morning crash. Details of the incident remain unclear, but the community is once again mourning the loss of another young life. The crash is under investigation, and the condition of the other two individuals remains critical.
Despite these twin tragedies, neither the violent death of Hope nor the fatal crash involving the 17-year-old were acknowledged during the council meeting. The absence of any comment or discussion regarding these devastating events has sparked frustration and disappointment among residents, who feel that their leaders are failing to respond to the city’s escalating crisis.
“We’re seeing violence and death every day now, and our council is talking about lawn contracts,” said one frustrated resident who attended the meeting. “Hope’s family is grieving, another teenager was killed just this morning, and our city leaders are silent. It’s unacceptable.”
The Council’s Agenda
The council’s agenda was full of routine city business, including contracts for waste management trucks, lawn maintenance for city parks, and authorization for a sludge removal project at the wastewater treatment plant. However, glaringly absent was any mention of the growing safety concerns or the rising violent crime that has claimed the lives of two children in just a few days.
Hope Alexandria Coleman was just 12 years old—a child full of potential whose life was senselessly taken. The 17-year-old, is another young life lost far too soon. These tragedies are part of a broader pattern of violence and loss that has plagued Alexandria in recent months, yet city leaders have shown little public urgency in addressing the crisis.
For Many
For many, the council’s silence in the face of these tragedies feels like a betrayal. Residents are demanding not just answers but action—action that addresses the rising crime rates, the safety of Alexandria’s children, and the steps needed to prevent further loss of life.
“We can’t keep burying our children and pretending it’s business as usual,” one resident said after the meeting. “This is a crisis, and our leaders need to start treating it like one.”
As the community continues to mourn the loss of Hope Alexandria Coleman and the 17-year-old from this morning’s crash, the calls for change are growing louder. Alexandria’s leaders must now decide whether to continue with business as usual or finally step up and confront the violence and tragedy head-on.
For now, the community is left with grief, anger, and the hope that these young lives will not be lost in vain—and that their deaths might spark the beginning of real change in Alexandria.
— UrbanCast / involvedinitall.com
Related Article: 12-Year-Old Girl Killed in Cypress Street Shooting in Alexandria
