Saturday morning concerned citizens and local officials came together for the seventh annual Walk Against Crime, a half-mile trek from City Hall to the Warren County Courthouse for those wishing to stand up to crime.

It was a beautiful sight, seeing those in government partnering with the people of Vicksburg and Warren County to promote positivity in our community.

There were several important takeaways from Saturday’s walk, including one from Warren County Supervisor Charles Selmon.

“The important thing we need to understand is that the Vicksburg Police Department, Warren County Sheriff’s Department and the DA department, they can’t do it alone,” he said. “When we’re fighting against crime in our community, each person in our community has a part.”

These words resonate; it truly does take a community to help prevent crime and make the place we live better for all who live, work and worship here.

Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong and District Attorney Ricky Smith both reported crime has been down lately, and that’s something we would all like to see continue.

Sheriff Martin Pace said it is important for parents and church families to be actively involved in their children’s lives and to discipline them so they don’t choose violence as they get older.

“Whether they’re grade school children or teenagers, they need some type of guidance, they need structure, they need to know where the limit is, and so many of the young people we deal with today have never experienced that,” Pace said.

We believe this is an idea worth paying attention to.

Children who grow up busy, with structure and guidance are less likely to be on the streets committing crimes.

It’s true what they say: it takes a village to raise a child.

Let’s all do our part in helping the children of our village stay out of trouble.