District 9 City Council candidate Demetres Coonrod said officials should fight crime with a focus on early childhood education rather than adding more police.
She said, "Crime is District 9s biggest concern but, more specifically the way it affects our daily lives: stray bullets, getting hurt, personal loss of life, ability, and property.
"The solution: Stop the pipeline flow at the source: early childhood. Quit throwing more police at the spill-end of the school-to-prison pipeline, and use it where it will do more good for our kids and community.
"The #1 indicator of prison time is the inability to read well in third grade.
"Expand early childhood education - promote free Head Start for six weeks to five-year-olds so we start reading skills early, get kids literate, able to stay in school.
Turn the pipeline off where it starts."