A Call For Action to End Violence including Community Forums, DREAMSCAPE Performance & “Put Down Your Guns” Peace Rally
According to statistics, although the overall murder rate in the U.S. has fallen over the past several years, the number of Black male victims of innercity low-income areas has increased. African Americans make up only 14 percent of the population, but sadly more than half of the country’s homicide victims are Black.
Recent police brutality incidents including victims Mike Brown from Ferguson, MO. and Ezell Ford from Los Angeles, Calif. have sparked human rights’ protests nationwide and enraged the community on many levels. These deaths of unarmed citizens have raised the necessity for addressing these issues within our community. The NAACP-Riverside Branch is responding to these senseless killings with a call for the community to take pre-emptive action. “Blurred Lines” Community Forum – Standing Up for Justice is a movement with four tiers. The purpose is to start a dialogue addressing the concerns of the ongoing violence in our community and understanding the connection between Black-on-Black crimes –vs– general brutality in our community. The first community forum will take place on Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 at Bobby Bonds Park in the Caesar Chavez Center from 7 to 9 p.m. (immediately following the NAACP Monthly Membership Meeting and Branch Election). The format will include a panel discussion with community leaders such as; NAACP-Riverside Branch President Woodie Rucker-Hughes, Dr. Abdulmumin, Terry Boykins and other special invited guests, followed by a Q&A.
Next month, Blurred Lines will continue with a special performance of ‘Dreamscape’, the soulstirring play depicting the local well-known police brutality case of Tyisha Miller; Part Two of “Blurred Lines” Community Forum, which will include panelists Police Chief Sergio Diaz, other law enforcement representatives and elected officials. Blurred Lines will conclude with a March for Peace “Put Down Your Guns” Rally on Saturday, November 8. (More details are forthcoming).
“It is time for us to bring forth a collective response that addresses all aspects of the current wave of violence in our community,” said NAACP-Riverside Branch Criminal Justice Chair Imam Terry Taalib Major. “We absolutely must address the self-inflicted violence being perpetrated within our community by our own sons and young people. Only then can we gain the moral imperative necessary to bring forth an empowered and unified response to this crucial issue.”
These events are free and open to the public. For more info contact: Terry Taalib Major at 951.292.2654, Natasha Ferguson at 951.662.8780 or email naacpriversidepr@yahoo.com. Also visit www.naacp-riverside.org.