Memphians joined a nationwide nonviolence campaign after gunfire struck the house of Pastor Eddie Brooks of The Pillar of Jerusalem Bible Church at the corner of Dunlap and Looney on Aug. 20.
Barry Blackstone, a community activist in North Memphis and the Executive director of Universal Center Corporation, witnessed the shooting as he was walking to the Pastor’s house.
“Chaos broke out and I called 911 but no one responded,” Blackstone said. “I got angry and decided enough is enough.”
Blackstone has organized an entire week of events in conjunction with the nationwide call to action campaign, starting with a mile and a half march on Saturday Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. at The Pillar of Jerusalem Bible Church.
The march will begin with a speech from Blackstone along with 17 other speakers, from numerous organizations that are partnering with Blackstone’s “Enough is Enough March.”
Marquita Bradshaw, organization coordinator for the Peace and Justice Center and Memphis United, is part of one of the 17 different partners supporting Saturday’s march.
“What is wonderful about this march is that the Universal Center Corporation has reached out to so many different partners, because it is important that people know about how to break up this cycle of violence,” Bradshaw said.
Bradshaw said the shooting occurred in broad daylight with kids playing outside. Two cars began firing at each other. Numerous phone calls were made to police, but law enforcement never responded. Bradshaw believes that had this shooting happened in East Memphis rather than North Memphis, law enforcement would have responded with more vigor.
“Law enforcement not responding makes the problem worse,” Bradshaw said. “This is a form of police violence that goes unreported. Just because a community is poverty stricken does not excuse police services.”
Statistics released by the Memphis-Shelby County Crime Commission show that murders, rapes, aggravated assaults and robberies in the period from January to July have increased by 5.7 percent in Memphis and 5.8 percent in Shelby County, compared with the same period in 2013.
Several attempts were made to contact Memphis law enforcement officers and city council members in response to the rising crime rates in Memphis. No one was available for comment.
Celyon Mooney, a local activist, said he plans on joining the march and is just happy to show up and participate.
“I respect and support members of this community that take charge,” Mooney said. “It calls us to respect and inherent humanity in both our allies and advocacies. Any time a community asks for my support in the cause of social uplift, I am privileged to support that community.”
More information on the march or the nationwide campaign against violence can be found at Campaign Nonviolence Memphis’ website at http://www.cnvmemphis.org/ or on their Facebook page.
