Youth violence continues unabated in Chattanooga.
Tuesday's brutal murder of a Howard High School student kept the problem in focus, as a new mayor was being elected.
The city now has a master plan to deal with youth gangs, and it will be high on our next mayor's agenda , when he takes office.
Monday was a game-changer for street violence.
Instead of a midnight drive-by, a young man who was at Howard High School, ran to an abandoned house a few blocks away and was shot to death execution style.
Are things out of hand?
The mayor-elect found himself discussing the shooting during an appearance at CSAS.
ANDY BERKE, MAYOR ELECT " We have too much violent crime..too much gang related violent crime..too much property crime and too much domestic violence in our city and the crime rate is unacceptable and we will change it."
The new mayor and the mostly-new city council, will be working with the year-old Gang Intervention Task Force.
Citizens hope for change, but it won't be perfect.
BOYD PATTERSON, COORDINATOR, GANG TASK FORCE "Even when the best gang programs are up and running, hitting on all cylinders there will always be street gangs..always be kids, unfortunately ..Shooting each other."
Berke pledged to fully join the effort.
ANDY BERKE "Yesterday was a tragedy. But every act of crime in our city is a tragedy." "The people of Chattanooga have said we need to move in a different direction and lower our crime rate...that's what we're going to do."
Patterson warned that one major factor is---not to paint all young people and gang members with the same brush.
BOYD PATTERSON "In that same group ..There are kids who can be saved..who haven't wrecked their lives yet. The problem is that they walk, talk, dress, have tattoos...and hang out with the same guys that are criminals. "
Patterson says with the help of the new administration...the program should be running by spring.
Berke and the new city council will take office on April 15th.
