What does a man from Falls City know about crime in Omaha?
Apparently, very little.
That's the message Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, himself a product of Falls City, sent this week. He issued a statement against a crime-solving plan being discussed by Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha.
According to an Oct. 12 story in the Omaha World-Herald, Ashford has yet to introduce a bill containing his ideas on how to fight crime in Omaha, but he is working to change that. He has been holding public hearings while talking to community leaders and police about how to tackle the problem of violence in Omaha.
Sen. Ashford is looking for a solution.
As part of these discussions, Ashford brought in speakers from a group called Ceasefire Chicago in an attempt to utilize their tried-and-true tactics of violence prevention in Omaha.
Ceasefire uses faith-based organizations, as well as reformed ex-criminals, to do street-level outreach. Outreach programs include creating job programs and working on conflict mediation. Ceasefire also helps former and current gang members obtain high school diplomas or a GED. These programs are detailed in the group's Web site, http://www.ceasefirechicago.org.
Many of the outreach workers are themselves former gang members who have spent time in prison but are now working to clean up their former neighborhoods. One specific focus of the program is prevention of retaliatory shootings. Who better to solve these problems than the guys who have been there?
It's a mediation model that has proven results. In Chicago, shootings dropped by up to 73 percent in neighborhoods where Ceasefire was working, according to statistics from the Department of Justice.
Sen. Ashford has shown to have a great understanding of a critical problem in his city and is looking for battle-tested solutions. That's terrific leadership and foresight - exactly what you would hope for from an elected official.
Unfortunately, that kind of leadership is absent from the Governor's Mansion.
With a problem desperately in need of solution and an effective program that could easily be transferred to Omaha, why does Gov. Heineman feel it necessary to come out in opposition? This is simply an option on the table - it hasn't even been introduced into the legislature.
Yet Heineman felt a need to take a stand, despite being incredibly inattentive to the issue of violence in Nebraska's biggest city.
In a statement on the issue from the governor's communications director, the governor said that he "believes giving hardened criminals taxpayer funds ... to resolve the violence problems in Omaha is a bad idea."
Well, governor, it's at least an idea, which means it is far more than you have ever offered on the issue.
On the governor's 2006 campaign Web site, there isn't even a mention of crime in the "Issues" section. And in the governor's weekly columns, out of 143 that he has written, only one specifically addressed crime. And that was merely as a result of the state obtaining a grant on community corrections from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
In comparison - over one dozen of these columns focus on agriculture - it's clear where the governor's mind is. Nebraska may be an agricultural state, but it's also one with substantial crime in its biggest city. When will the governor start focusing on all of Nebraska's issues?
Heineman isn't a leader on these issues - he's not even a follower. His complete lack of concern about crime in the Omaha area, where nearly half the population of the state resides, marks a display of terrible leadership from the state's highest elected official.
This sort of "benign neglect" has allowed problems to fester and grow. Parts of Omaha are struggling terribly, and the current economic climate is only going to make things worse.
Local leaders and state senators can help and ought to be praised for their heroic efforts to better their community. But for a problem the size of Omaha's, you need to bring in some serious muscle.
This is where any halfway competent governor would step in.
Concentrated executive-level leadership could make a huge difference. A coordinated effort from all of Nebraska's law enforcement agencies, coupled with a program like Ceasefire, could see exceptional results.
Governor, Omaha has seen 31 homicides this year alone - what is the magic number that will get you involved?
Now is not the time for obstructionism from the governor's office. Omaha needs solutions, but Gov. Heineman simply says "no." No to programs to reduce killings; no to programs that will stop gangs.
Come on, Dave. Isn't it time to say "yes?"
JEFF HALL IS A SENIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION MAJOR. REACH HIM AT JEFFHALL@DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM
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