City council person rails against “snitches get stitches” code, urges shooting witnesses to come forward

Officials react to Grove Street shooting and other Chattanooga gun violence at County Commission meeting

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – “If you witness something and you’re coming forth for justice, that’s not snitching,” says Chattanooga City Council person Demetrus Coonrod. Dozens of people witnessed a shooting on Grove Street Saturday night that took two lives and injured five more. The police say they have no suspects or motives. “In our community we are now stepping over bodies and we can no longer afford not to address it,” says Coonrod. “I’m a grandmother that’s raising a six-year-old because she witnessed her father getting killed. And when we’re at a point when community members who witness violent acts that can’t come forward, we are in a crisis.”
Wednesday morning’s Hamilton County Commission meeting centered around Chattanooga’s recent gun violence.
“In order to fix something, you first have to acknowledge it,” says Hamilton County Commissioner Katherlyn Geter. “There’s a lot of folks in Hamilton County that have not even acknowledged that we even have a community like that over there.”
The police and mayor’s office say they have no updates. And the district attorney’s office wouldn’t comment.
“Go by there. Look at the conditions that the folks live in in that community. Talk to them,” Geter says.
Officials acknowledge there is fear these shootings will be forgotten. “What happens is these tragic events occur in the city, in the county and it’s on everybody’s radar and it goes away and we never have a fix for it.” says Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger. The community does agree the answers aren’t simple and it will take everyone working together. “Asking the criminal justice system, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges, to fix this kind of problem is like closing the barn door when the horse is already gone. It would be nice if Big Brothers Big Sisters had the budget that the court system has, but that’s just not where we live,” says Hamilton County District Public Defender Steve Smith.
“We no longer can be political about it,” says Coonrod. “We gotta put those affiliations to the side and really stand in unity and address this issue on how we can move our community forward in the right way.”

There will be a roundtable discussion officials and pastors will be speaking at to address the gun violence in Chattanooga. It will be held at the Kingdom Center at Mount Olivet Baptist Church on East Martin Luther King Avenue October 5 at 2 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend and participate.