According to local news reports, Tallahassee is Florida's most dangerous city; ranking higher than Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, W. Palm Beach, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando & Jacksonville. To me, that's odd that Tallahassee would be ranked higher in violent crime since it's smaller than the aforementioned cities. My question is that if Tallahassee is so deadly, why isn't it on First 48? The places I've mentioned above had some crimes make national news, and Tallahassee doesn't strike me as a hardcore crime city. Unfortunately, because of Tallahassee's billing as Florida's deadliest city, Operation Safe Neighborhood came into play. Operation Safe Neighborhood is a partnership between local churches, Tallahassee Police Dept. and the Mayor's office to combat the rising violence in the city. I've been a part of this since it started. Each month, TPD, local churches and the mayor walk the streets of violence-prone neighborhoods in Tallahassee to let residents know we care. Churches pray for residents' well-being in these hoods and invite them to church (if they don't have a home church already). So many inner-city residents complain about the violence in their hoods, but what are they doing to help combat the issue? Last Thursday, my church and myself partnered with several TPD officers and other churches to walk through Frenchtown (one of Tallahassee's roughest hoods), and one block in Frenchtown had 7 murders in the past month. Another murder there made the news in which a 16-year old stabbed an old man in his neck, and the man bled to death. The teen was caught and charged with 1st-degree murder (he has yet to stand trial). Being involved in making a difference in my city is priceless. As long as this initiative exists, I'll continue showing support.
