Jesse Jackson plans another visit to Benton Harbor

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson is planning another visit to this city where riots erupted last month and will tour several other Michigan communities to highlight employment, justice and education issues.

Accompanied by state lawmakers, he plans to visit Saginaw, Flint, Lansing and Jackson on Sunday and travel to Battle Creek on Monday. He then will attend a leadership meeting in Benton Harbor and march from city hall to the Berrien County Jail.

Jackson visited the city shortly after the riots destroyed 22 homes. The civil unrest developed after the death of motorcyclist Terrance Devon Shurn, 27, of Benton Harbor, during a high-speed chase involving police from neighboring Benton Township.

The Berrien County prosecutor has since cleared police of any wrongdoing in Shurn's death.

Jackson also has announced plans to open a chapter of his Rainbow-PUSH Coalition in Lansing to help develop a long-term plan to assist economically distressed Michigan communities.

Jackson also has announced plans to open a chapter of his Rainbow-PUSH Coalition in Lansing to help develop a long-term plan to assist economically distressed Michigan communities.

Obligatory history:

Population:
14,707 (1980);
12,818 (1990);
11,182 (2000).
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History:
In 1905 the Benton Harbor Development Company was organized to attract industries to the City. Land grants and financial aid induced numerous industries to locate in the City.
The Roaring Twenties were boom years and inspired the building of new hotels, office buildings, schools and churches.
Beginning in the 1960's, Benton Harbor began to decline. Industries and residents moved out of the City due to problems that were being experienced nationwide in inner-city environments.
The deterioration continued to escalate until late in the 1980's.
In 1986 Benton Harbor became the focus of state government attention and was designated as an enterprise zone. This program provides substantial incentives for business location and has become the basis for the renewal of Benton Harbor.
The City of Benton Harbor also received one of four Renaissance Zone designations in 1997 in the State of Michigan. The City has beautifully developed its St. Joseph River waterfront and many other developments within the City are encouraging the rebirth of this once vital city.
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Recent history:
Benton Harbor, Michigan: Despite the fact that the violent crime rate in Michigan dropped in 1997, Benton Harbor, a city in the Southwestern part of the state, still had a significant crime problem.
With a population of [around] 13,500 and a crime rate of 16.5 per 100 residents, Benton Harbor was the most violent city in Michigan. A murder spree left 10 people dead in a twelve-day period. Individuals living in Benton Harbor described it as a Dodge City, where kids were afraid to play in the streets and elderly people couldn't walk their dogs. Residents routinely heard gunshots night after night. But after the intervention of law enforcement officers---from state, local and Federal agencies--Benton Harbor was being brought back to life. Beginning early in 1997, the Michigan State Police sent troopers into Benton Harbor to patrol the streets, train local law enforcement officers and enhance their ability to protect the community. They brought a sense of stability to the area which had become a haven for violent fugitives.
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October 29, 2001
The Associated Press
GRAND RAPIDS (AP) -- The Detroit, Flint and Kalamazoo-Battle Creek metropolitan areas had the highest rates of reported violent crime last year in Michigan, the FBI says. ...
The Benton Harbor region's violent-crime rate has declined since 1995, when it had one of the three highest in the state, along with the Flint and Detroit areas. In 1995, the lowest rates were in the Ann Arbor, Jackson and Lansing-East Lansing regions.
...
In Michigan, the overall crime index rate was highest in the Flint area, at 5,538.9 reports per 100,000 population. It was followed by the regions of Kalamazoo-Battle Creek (5,160.6), Detroit (4,686.5), Benton Harbor (4,456.8), Jackson (4,225.6), Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland (3,902.2), Saginaw-Bay City-Midland (3,891.7), Lansing-East Lansing (3,690.7) and Ann Arbor (3,055.5).
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Excerpts from:
http://www.berriencounty.org/econdev/pdfs/bharbor.pdf
http://www.greatestcities.com/North_America/USA/Michigan_MI/Benton_Harbor_city.html
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/cngrtest/ct032599.htm
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/102901/loc_1029010017.shtml

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