NATCHEZ — Friday forum is back with a new slate of informative and engaging topics.

The series of one-hour community discussions sponsored by the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce, Alcorn State University and Natchez Coffee Company begins this Friday. Each forum begins at 8 a.m. in the main dining room of Natchez Coffee Company, 509 Franklin St.

“Friday Forum is a way to engage the community by learning more about the topics that are important to them,” Chamber CEO Debbie Hudson said.

This week begins with a topic that has currently been on the minds of many residents, Hudson said.

“The biggest concern in the area right now is crime,” Hudson said.

Barney Schoby, chairman of the local Stop the Violence Committee will be the speaker at this Friday’s forum.

“It is a committee that everybody needs to know about,” Hudson said. “The committee has been meeting regularly to discuss a range of issues relating to crime.”

Hudson said the group made up of concerned citizens and local leaders has met with Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong and Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten to discuss possible solutions to the area’s recent crime problems.

The committee has also reached out to other, similar-sized communities to find out what they are doing to address crime.

“A lot of people do not know this committee exists,” Hudson said. “Many people do not know there is a group of people working on these issues. It is nice to know that somebody is having the discussion.”

Hudson said Schoby will talk about the issues the Stop the Violence Committee has discussed and some of the plans that have come out of those discussions.

Hudson said the rest of the month of September is filled with a variety of topics.

On Sept. 14, new Merit Health Natchez CEO Lance Boyd will talk a little about himself and his vision for local healthcare.

Other upcoming topics include an update on local media and discussion on the local real estate market.

In October, Hudson said, the mayor will talk about the state of the city and officials from FOR Natchez will give an update on downtown revitalization efforts.

“We like to have a wide range of topics that people are talking about in the community,” Hudson said.