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NATCHEZ — Days after a deadly weekend shooting at a festival in Fayette, Adams County supervisors debated the responsibility of parents in battling the growing crime issue, with one supervisor saying “I just don’t think that the police department, the sheriff’s department or elected officials (can solve this problem).”

Six people were shot, one fatally, at the Fayette Festival. No one has been arrested for the crime, though officials have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

District 4 Supervisor Ricky Gray began a conversation about the shooting incident during the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday.

“We have given our children everything they want without giving them what they need,” Gray said. “We have some serious problems and the majority of the shootings I have witnessed lately have been Black on Black crime. I’m going to be honest with you. Everyday I talk to people, but it’s beyond talking. I really don’t know how to address the Black on Black crime that is going on not only in our community, but my concern right now is our community …Enough is enough.”

Gray said he heard someone say elected officials should be doing something to stop the violence.

“I heard somebody say, ‘well, the elected officials ain’t doing nothing. The police department ain’t doing nothing.’ My opinion is totally different because to my knowledge when I was growing up, no elected officials had nothing to do with the outcome of my life. It was my parents. So maybe they need to get back to some parenting, because I just don’t think that the police department, the sheriff’s department or elected officials (can solve this problem),” he said. “We can find all kinds of recreation activities for kids, but when you say it’s our fault they are out there killing each other, no, it ain’t my fault. I’m just going to tell you right now I don’t think it’s anybody on this board’s fault what’s going on with Black on Black crime. As a Black man, it really, really bothers me. If anybody has a solution or anybody has anything that can prevent it, I’m here to listen.”

Board President Kevin Wilson, who represents District 2, said he agreed with Gray.

“I know you have dealt most of your life with juveniles with basketball and every other sport, and you are always out in the community,” Wilson said to Gray. “Angela (Hutchins) does the same thing and Mr. (Warren) Gaines does too with rodeo and Wes (Middleton) does it with baseball and other things. Everybody here puts themselves out in the community, and I think you are absolutely correct. They shouldn’t be pointing the finger at us. As community leaders, we give everything we can most of the time.”

Gaines said the situation was personal for him because his son wanted to attend the Fayette Festival on Saturday evening and he would not let him go.

“I was out working and at about 4:30 p.m., he showed up and wanted to go to the festivities in Fayette. I told him no and we got into an argument, had a pow wow about him not going,” Gaines said. “Sunday morning I told him, it doesn’t matter if you are still mad at me. We are going to straighten it out. At least we have an opportunity to do that and I have not had you pronounced dead.”

Gaines said the root cause of the problem is when the “system” began telling parents they could not discipline their children.

“Back in the day, my mama or my grandparents, they didn’t care about the system. Now, if you whoop your child, you are going to jail,” he said.

Wilson said he did not give his children enough time when they were growing up because he was out working for a living.

“I read something on Facebook where someone said instead of driving an $80,000 truck, they were driving a $5,000 truck so they didn’t have to work overtime and could attend their kids’ functions,” Wilson said. “The other thing I see is, I remember when I went to Suzie B. West, the classroom size was maybe 20 or 22 kids. And those teachers loved their children. I don’t think there is enough time in the day anymore for teachers to teach like they used to, or schools don’t have the funds or don’t use it properly. That’s my take on it.”

Gray said sometimes parents can do everything right to raise responsible, law-abiding children, but influences outside the home can lead young people astray.

“Sometimes it’s not even at the house. Once they leave the house and get an opportunity to hang out with some people they aren’t supposed to hang out with who aren’t the best influences, maybe they do things they would not normally do. Those raising them may not even know what’s going on, and by the time they find out what’s going on, it’s too late,” Gray said. “The damage is already done. So, as a Black leader in this county and with all the Black on Black crime, I’ve talked to a lot of people and I try to help them on the front end. The thing is, if I reach out to you on the front end, and you don’t want my help, and you get a felony, I can’t help you then.”

District 4 Supervisor Angela Hutchins said parents should make the decisions in their children’s lives, not the children.

“We are going to have to catch hold of our kids if we want to see a change in all this crime wave and everything. As parents, I know we are busy and we work, but we also have to pay attention to our kids,” Hutchins said.

“We have to stop letting our kids make decisions as parents. We have kids telling their parents what they are and what they are not going to do,” she said. “Just last week in our county work program, one kid did not show up so I contacted the parent. She said, ‘Oh, I woke him up and he didn’t show up? Let me go in here and find out what’s going on.’ So she calls me back and tells me ‘He doesn’t want to work in the sun.’ What? That couldn’t have been my child. It’s a job, and you’re going to tell me you don’t want to work in the sun? That’s where things go wrong, when kids start making decisions and parents are accepting it. That’s wrong. I’ve got a problem with that. That totally messed up my whole day. It really did. I was just stunned.”

Hutchins also said children are being exposed to things they shouldn’t be on social media and apps such as YouTube.

“All of this YouTube stuff, that’s just ruining our kids … We get our kids all of these electronics and they watch YouTube all day and think it’s all good. That’s ruining kids. There’s some bad stuff on there,” she said. “We have deleted it from my grandkids’ iPads and everything. You can find a way to delete all that. We are going to have to find a way to reach our kids as parents. It’s not a teacher’s job to raise your kids. It’s your job to raise your kids. I try to mentor kids and parents as much as I can, but parents are going to have to take control.”