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FinalCall.com News
National News
Communities self-determined to end gang violence
By Charlene Muhammad
Staff Writer
Updated Aug 19, 2007 - 11:56:00 AM
LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com) - The epidemic of violence brought on by “gang” or street organizations, which has been claiming more lives of children barely into their teens throughout various U.S. cities, is not only causing police departments to strengthen their suppression tactics with gang injunctions and gang databases, but making community residents and leaders strengthen their self-determination to get rid of the violence themselves—and save the youth they love and fear.
Part of that determination is the continuance of the “180-Hood Tour,” originated by Minister Tony Muhammad, Nation of Islam (NOI) Western Region Representative, along with the Western Region Headquarters’ Million More Movement (MMM) Ministry of Defense.
The tour has visited 70 gang neighborhoods so far, bolstered last weekend by seven hoods, which called him in to discuss the growing trend of young females who are dying from gang violence. Min. Muhammad said that he received reports that seven young women were shot over a span of approximately one to two weeks recently, and that gang sets contacted him to discuss how to end all hood violence.
One fatal victim of that violence is 16-year-old Brittany Johnson-Phillips, gunned down on July 29 in front of a South Central L.A. donut shop by a male whom witnesses say walked up and began firing, striking her in the back three times. What is especially tragic, community activists charge, is that her mother, Linda “J.” Johnson, a long-time community activist and executive board member of the Community Call to Action and Accountability (CCTAA), works tirelessly against the violence that has now claimed her very own child.
At prayer vigil held Aug. 2, called by the CCTAA, clergy, activists and politicians, Ms. Johnson reiterated her call for peace.
“We’ve got to end this, because if we don’t, one of you will be standing where I am...we need to stop this killing, get involved with our kids so that they know there’s somewhere beyond this place,” she told the approximate 100 gatherers.
Not too far away in the Stevenson’s Village subdivision of Carson, 16-year-old Reginald Hays was shot July 17 while listening to music in his car outside of a friend’s home. Sheriff Deputies labeled the murder as “gang-related.” Mr. Carson’s family denies that charge.
Carson City Councilman Mike Gibson hosted a town hall meeting for residents and law enforcement to discuss solutions to the area’s rising gang violence. A major portion of the meeting focused on L.A. County Sheriff gang strategies, and the other on questions and answers.
“This seems like just a pat on the back for the police as doing a good job. [Within one week] I’ve called them 10 times to come out to the house, and every time they came out there was a shooting afterwards,” stated Carson resident Clark Dabney. He said that there have been eight shootings on his block in the last year, leaving five cars with bullet holes.
“It’s all over and at some point it just has to stop,” Min. Muhammad expressed during a tour of shooting scene he conducted with several Jr. Fruit of Islam (FOI) by his side. Mr. Hays’ uncle, John Tucker, asked that he share a word on his family’s behalf that would move the youth to peace.
He and other peacemakers have not given up on troubled youth; they insist that stamping them out is not the answer, and unless corrections are made to their hearts, minds, environments and physical conditions, more will simply rise up in place of others. The healing must originate where the pain began, among the gangs themselves, Min. Muhammad positions.
“They are crying out for help and can’t solve this by themselves. They need among them what the world has, a United Nations. We need a united hood nation that will grow a peace keeping force, wear neutral colors, travel into various war-torn neighborhoods and forge truces among warring factions,” Min. Muhammad said.
“We are self-determined to cure this, and nobody can end this but us. It was started by us and it will take us to stop it, but we have to do it with the Divine Wisdom of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and the Holy Qur’an—a book of principle. The Holy Qur’an has the best methodology of how to unite warring factions,” he continued.
