‘Get your kids before the streets get them’: Savannah leaders hold community walk following shootings

by Steven Glover

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -A pre-planned Savannah community walk took on heavy urgency following a series of violent Tuesday shootings.

The Wednesday event was scheduled weeks in advance, but three separate shootings less than a day prior changed the entire tone of the march.

A massive wave of Savannah Police and city officials hit the pavement in the Live Oak neighborhood to stand in solidarity with the community.

“For those young ones out there doing crazy stuff, you need to get your kids before the streets get them,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said. “Because when the streets get them, it’s a whole different conversation. The conversation is a funeral home, and a conversation with the cemetery.”

The highly visible presence of Savannah Police Department officers and community advocates brought an immediate sense of relief to some.

“Seeing all the police here and the whole department, I instantly feel safer because there’s been a lot of crime in the area,” Savannah resident Vernessa Rosa said. “They need our support as much as we need their support as well to have a safe community.”

While the walk was a way to connect directly with neighborhoods, the violence of the day before has thrust youth gang activity back to the forefront of the conversation in Savannah.

In an interview earlier on Wednesday, Alderman Kurtis Purtee spoke bluntly about the systemic problems facing the city.

“It’s no secret that we have gangs in Savannah,” Alderman Kurtis Purtee said. “We have gangs in the city of Savannah, we have gangs in the area. We’re seeing a lot of youth involved in these gang-like activities. They’re putting other people’s lives at stake. At this point, it’s becoming a quality of life issue in Savannah. It’s really a public safety emergency, what it is.”

While Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther says investigators are still working to establish the exact connections and motives behind Tuesday’s gunfire, he had a blunt warning for those responsible.

“We’re going to find you,” Chief Gunther said. “My warning to you, or my advice to you, is turn yourself in because we’re going to knock on everybody’s door that’s associated with you.”

Both the police department and city representatives stressed that reclaiming local neighborhoods is a joint effort that requires community trust, parent involvement, and neighborhood cooperation.

If you have any information regarding Tuesday’s shootings, police urge you to contact them directly or submit an anonymous tip through Crimestoppers.