Beneath an overcast sky that threatened rain, dozens of people Saturday morning took a walk to show they plan to fight community violence with a firm message of hope and peace.
Around 50 people — men, women, children, white, black, young and old — marched together from the Emmett Scott Community Center on Crawford Road to Rock Hill City Hall to protest recent violence in the community that has taken the lives of young people and, according to fed-up residents, threatens to rob Rock Hill's youth of their future.
“If we don't take a stand now, then we can just say goodbye to the kids of tomorrow,” said Sherman Porterfield, president of the Black Male Summit Committee and an organizer of the march.
Since June, three teenagers have been killed in crime-related incidents. Last month, a shootout on Catherine Street in Rock Hill left one teenager dead, another injured and one more charged with murder. Days before, another teen was robbed, shot and killed on a Byars Street porch. And in June, a 15-year-old girl and robbery suspect was shot and killed by Rock Hill police after she pointed a gun at officers who confronted her.
Those who took part in the march said they've had enough.
“I get tired of hearing about the young people killing each other. It's in my neighborhood,” Lucille Watson, 57, said. “I want it to stop.”
A solution won't be reached without an aggressive campaign on the part of neighborhoods, Watson said.
“We need to go more into the streets, door to door,” she said.
Ethel Stroud, 62, said many violent offenders come from outside the neighborhoods and corrupt those who live there. She said it's hard to say why teens seem prone to such behavior.
“Some children come from good homes and families and still turn out violent,” Stroud said.
The march to City Hall took about 20 minutes. Neighbors along the nearly mile-long route stared curiously from their porches. Some event came out and joined.
Organizers hope the march is the first step toward a greater awareness of the need to solve the problem. They also want to build a bond and trust between neighborhoods and the police.
“I think it's actually going to bring the community together … to come up with alternatives for the young people in the community,” said Dorene Boular, coordinator of the city's Weed and Seed program, an initiative to reform high-crime areas.
When the marchers reached their destination, a series of speakers challenged them to get involved in the push to curb youth violence, either through time, money or by just being willing to spread the message that crime won't be tolerated in their neighborhoods.
All speakers pleaded for a united front that involves everyone in the community — especially parents, who were urged to instill virtues of peace, respect and nonviolent conflict resolution in their children.
“Violence is killing our communities,” said state Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill, who told the crowd to work with local government and civic leaders to find ways to make Rock Hill safe for everyone.
Residents can play a role by calling police hotlines to report crimes or plans for criminal activity, King said.
“That's saving some child's life,” he said.
The recent killings of young people have served as a community-wide call for action, organizers said.
“People are finally realizing that violence has no color. It does not discriminate,” Porterfield said. “A bullet has no name. And yet a lot of innocent people are being killed every day.”
Jason Foster 803-329-4066
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