JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes, Ward 3, held a ‘Stop the Violence’ motorcade in South Jackson on Monday, January 1.

The motorcade started at Lanier High School and ended at Cornerstone Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Community members were joined by Jackson and Capitol police officers.

During the event, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade shared his goals going into 2024, which included cutting the number of homicides in the capital city in half.

“We ended the year with 109 homicides. That’s nothing to be proud of. It’s down from the previous year of 135, but I’m excited about the things that we put in place, and I plan on cutting that number in half in 2024. I’m very excited about that. And with the partnerships on the local level, the county level, the state and federal level, I believe in 2024 that we can do this,” said Wade.