NAVC SHUT IT DOWN FOR PEACE IN THE STREETS, By 'bro. zayid'

NAVC SHUT IT DOWN !

FOR PEACE IN THE STREETS!

by 'bro.zayid'

          Wednesday, July 19^th, saw the mighty Newark AntiViolence Coalition (NAVC) shut down Broad and Market for “Peace in the Streets” like only the Newark AntiViolence Coalition does!

          Not stopped or hindered by sweltering July heat or the cynicism of critics,  the NAVC shut the major intersection down at 6pm ‘Malcolm time’ drawing participants from all quarters of the city.

          Team members from two local boxing programs, Believe In Yourself and Hope Love And Kindness, led by the ‘Street Doctor’ Earl Best, ran and joined the circle chanting “Believe in yourself” in what could warmly be called a public service workout!

          Tyrone Muhammad and Morticians Who Care returned with their casket taking centerstage and gave one of his bonechilling graphic commentaries on the gruesome dimensions of violent death deglamorizing the addictive, destructive plague.

          Young artist John Thompson of Young Successful Men (YSM) brought three of his fresh paintings of stand up Black men, a painting capturing the slogan of Black men during many Civil Rights protests ‘I Am A Man’ and portraits of Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela who would have been 99 the day before.

          Black Lives Matter spokesperson Jennifer Lewinsky gave painful testimony of surviving domestic violence and then surviving being prosecuted by the state when she dared to defend herself from that violence and brought all matters of the violence facing the community together.

          “Violence is what it means to be Black in America,” she charged pointedly.

          NAVC treasurer Dawn Haynes also echoed the special pains Black women face on the issue, but was able to turn eyes and ears to hope for improvement challenging everyone to appreciate the work being done making a difference in the city in spite of its harrowing persistence.

          “We got to stop ignoring all the good that’s being done in this city,” she implored.

          The rally was an effort at a unifying mass response to an ugly spate of gun violence that tore through the heart of New Jersey’s largest city over the 4^th July Holiday Weekend unnerving residents from all stripes. Among the casualties was a six year old child who miraculously survived.

          Bringing evening rush hour traffic to a heart heavy halt, the rally was well received by many…

(c) 2017