The center of attention at a Town Hall Meeting in Danville quickly turned to a discussion about violence last night (April 24th). State Senator Scott Bennett was holding a Town Hall meeting at Danville Area Community College when citizens raised concerns about some recent local shootings.
Jane Campbell, a substitute teacher in Danville, says something has to be done to address the violence. ‘’We are not just going to close our eyes to what’s happening. I mean we’ll stand up and do what we have to do to make our community the kind of community we want it to be, ‘’ said Campbell. ‘’And I think as I said, the people that are present here (at the Town Hall meeting) we’re willing to do – you know, they say write letters and call your senators. If we need to get a bus, and sit out on the porch – on the steps – we’ve got to do something. Because just to talk about it is not going to be sufficient,’’ added Campbell.
Senator Bennett believes cuts in state funding for some programs are adding to the problem. ‘’I know the city is trying to deal with it the best they can. Frankly you do see a correspondence between a lot of the things that are going on. When you cut – especially as we head into the summer months which are statistically the time you see the most crime,’’ said Senator Bennett, ‘’when you cut education programs, and after school programs and mentoring programs – you do not want teenagers out there without productive things to do, And, unfortunately sometimes you see violence that goes along with that. And I think that’s what we’re seeing right now,’’ added Bennett.
Senator Bennett added Danville is not alone in facing a recent uptick in shootings and other violence. The Senator was asked whether he is optimistic about a new state budget as lawmakers return to Springfield. ‘’Not as optimistic as I was,’’ said Bennett. ‘’I’ll be back first thing Tuesday morning. The Governor was here locally and was telling people we’re really close, and he’s meeting with all these people in the Senate. I’m on the Budget Committee and I’ve talked to the chairman of the Budget Committee, and there’s been no conversation with them. So whether these are conversations just with the Republicans that have a super minority in the Senate, or whether the Governor has been misinformed, we want these meetings. We want these to take place,’’ says Senator Bennett. ‘’And frankly there’s no excuse. The last two weeks there was a break from Springfield. There should have been people meeting every single day,’’ added Bennett during comments at Danville Area Community College Monday evening.
