Citizens in Charge

Another example today of why citizen initiative rights are important. This one is from Jackson, Tennessee:

The Jackson City Council turned down a curfew ordinance earlier this year, but some residents are trying to bring it back — potentially as a ballot initiative.

Lambuth Area Neighborhood Association President Scott Conger said he thinks the curfew is a tool in combating youth crime in Jackson that should not be denied because city leaders found that most youth crimes happened outside of the curfew hours — 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. most nights of the week —that would have been set by the rejected ordinance.

Initiative rights allow citizens recourse when elected officials are not responsive to their needs. Thankfully for the citizens of Jackson, TN they have those rights. If they have enough signatures and votes, they’ll get their curfew despite the Council’s ruling.