The residents of Natchez and Adams County should not and cannot stand for crimes like those that occurred this weekend.

An elderly couple was badly beaten inside their own house just after 9 p.m. Saturday. Intruders knocked on the door and proceeded to pistol whip the man who answered before stealing his wallet.

Sometime between Friday and Monday a burglar or burglars broke the windows out of the local Boys & Girls Club, went inside and walked off with 14 computers.

In one weekend, our community saw crimes against senior citizens and children, and now it is our responsibility to act.

Preying on the weak will not be tolerated here. These criminals must be arrested and punished.

Someone out there knows something about both of these crimes. It is time to talk.

Law enforcement cannot stop crime, and officers cannot solve crime on their own. It takes a neighborhood to make a difference.

Anyone with any information about either crime has a civic responsibility to call Crime Stoppers at 601-442-5000. Tips will be kept anonymous, and a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators in the robbery of the elderly couple.

Natchez is better than this. Let’s put a stop to events like this now by simply proving that we won’t tolerate it.