Homicide Watch Trenton

During the weeks leading up to the new year, The Trentonian spoke with several City Council members and asked their thoughts about Trenton’s deadliest year. These are some of their answers.

What comes to mind when you hear that someone was murdered in Trenton?

“It’s saddening. We need to focus on educating the young people of this city, and then find ways to help them gain employment. Many of the suspects in these shootings are protecting their turf and looking for a way to make money. They need jobs. And if we are going to get them off the street, we need to help them find employment. Moreover, we need a task force or tactical unit to prevent killings in this city. We have a task force to solve murders, but we should also focus on stopping the murders.” - City Council President George Muschal

“When I hear that another person has been murdered in Trenton, the first thing that comes to my mind is, ‘Oh my God, not another one.’ We’ve lost control of our youth in the city. I know that our police department is low in numbers, and we have a task force that is working hard to arrest suspects as soon as possible; but it would be better if we prevented violent crimes as opposed to solving murders. Families are hurting because of the murders. And I don’t know how to get families to intervene when they know their children are involved in gangs or illicit activity.” - City Council Vice President Marge Caldwell-Wilson

“It hurts me to the core. I’ve been thinking about all these homicides, lately. I’ve been an educator for the last 39 years, and I understand the educational system in Trenton. I know the high school dropout rate, and from what I understand it’s a high number. It’s somewhere around 48 percent, I think. That’s unacceptable. And if we as a city allow that to continue, we are asking for trouble. If young people in an urban setting are not educated, not working, and don’t have money, the outcome will be bad. But we can fix this. We can fix this through education, and we can make sure we have jobs for these young people. When they don’t have jobs, they look for alternative ways to get money; and usually it’s through criminal activities. And that leads to violence. We have to put more emphasis on engaging our young men with programs that will prevent them from dropping out, and ensure they learn basic skills early in life.” - Councilman at-Large Alex Bethea

Is there a particular homicide that stands out to you this year and why?

“Sadly, I know a lot of the kids that have died. I worked the streets as a police officer for 40 years, and I watched them grow up. It bothers me to see so much bloodshed. A lot of them are undereducated, and can’t get a job. That’s the big problem. Believe me, these kids want to work. They want to make money. These murders are their way of crying out.” - Muschal

“I’m being honest when I say this: I am hurt to the core every time I hear that we had a homicide in this city, whether I know the person or not. It’s the same pain. It hurts me. I say that sincerely.” - Bethea

What have some of your constituents recently said to you in regards to crime?

“Everyone’s main concern is about leadership, and the lack of police power on the street.” - Muschal

What can we do in the future to improve conditions in the city?

“I feel if we had a tactical unit that was proactive in preventing violent crime, the city would be a much safer place. Kids are dealing drugs and packing guns right on the street because there’s no enforcement.” - Muschal

“After public safety, education and jobs have to be the first order of business. From the federal to the state to the local level, we have to take this bull by the horns. We can’t allow our young men to drop out of high school. We need them to earn a college degree and then become productive citizens of our community.” - Bethea