Community members sound off about Corbett's comments at council meeting
Posted: Feb 25, 2015 12:29 AM EST
On Monday night Metro Homicide Commander Tim Corbett spoke at the South Bend Common Council meeting to talk about his frustration about the tape scandal and the ongoing legal issues.
He believes tax payer money could go to better things and at one point, he even spoke about crime in South Bend.
“90-percent of homicides were black on black last year,” Corbett said Monday night. “It's not a car load of whites shooting at black people and it's not a car load of blacks shooting at white people. It's one on one and we fight every day to stop it.”
What do residents in South Bend's black community think about what he said?
ABC 57 brought the full recording to the Inspiration Barber Shop on Chapin Street and the people who listened to it said they didn't believe it was flat out racist or wrong but they agreed that this kind of hostility only causes more of a rift in the community.
“I think the situation is very frustrating,” said Kintae Lark, owner of Inspiration Barber Shop.
Lark says he's frustrated with the 3-year-long investigation into wiretapping at the South Bend Police Department.
"I believe the tapes should be heard because I believe people have the right to hear them,” said Lark.
But more concerning to him is the divide he believes the investigation is causing between police in South Bend and the black community.
“My interpretation is that there's just a little too much hostility in the air,” says Lark. “One day, possibly several years from now, someone may look back on the history we're making right now and so what kind of story will they read?”
He believes tax payer money could go to better things and at one point, he even spoke about crime in South Bend.
“90-percent of homicides were black on black last year,” Corbett said Monday night. “It's not a car load of whites shooting at black people and it's not a car load of blacks shooting at white people. It's one on one and we fight every day to stop it.”
What do residents in South Bend's black community think about what he said?
ABC 57 brought the full recording to the Inspiration Barber Shop on Chapin Street and the people who listened to it said they didn't believe it was flat out racist or wrong but they agreed that this kind of hostility only causes more of a rift in the community.
“I think the situation is very frustrating,” said Kintae Lark, owner of Inspiration Barber Shop.
Lark says he's frustrated with the 3-year-long investigation into wiretapping at the South Bend Police Department.
"I believe the tapes should be heard because I believe people have the right to hear them,” said Lark.
But more concerning to him is the divide he believes the investigation is causing between police in South Bend and the black community.
“My interpretation is that there's just a little too much hostility in the air,” says Lark. “One day, possibly several years from now, someone may look back on the history we're making right now and so what kind of story will they read?”
