Harriet Tubman Center News & Updates

Source: detroit2020.com

More than 30 clergy members are teaming up with law enforcement with a call for a cease fire in Detroit. It’s called Detroit Night Walks.

After months of ongoing violent crime, the clergy members are calling for calm and asking for others to join them in upcoming trainings for Detroit Night Walks.

The clergy team, led by Bishop Edgar Vann of Second Ebenezer Church and Pastor James Warfield of Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, have already committed to Detroit Night Walks in targeted areas of the city.

“We have churches in all corners of Detroit, but we want to fill in as many neighborhoods as possible with a peaceful, but powerful presence,” Pastor Warfield said.

Detroit has 468 crimes per square mile. The national average is 39 crimes per square mile.

Both clergy and lay people are invited to two trainings on Friday, May 25th and Friday, June 15th. In addition, prayer rallies to end the violence are planned at five churches on Saturday, May 26th.

Friday, May 25th

Phase 1 of Detroit Night Walks Training

6-7:30 p.m.

Second Ebenezer Church

14601 Dequindre

First Night Walk:

Friday, May 25th

7:30 p.m.

Solomon’s Temple

2341 E. 7 Mile

Saturday, May 26th:  Youth Prayer Rally at five Detroit Churches at 2pm, with prayer at exactly 3:13 p.m.

-Eastern Region: Second Ebenezer Baptist Church

-Northwest Region: Lighthouse Community Church, 15820 Wyoming, Detroit

-West Region: Third New Hope (West Campus), 5439 West Warren Ave., Detroit

-Midtown Region: Citadel of Faith Covenant Church, 1419 West Warren Ave., Detroit

-Southwest Region: Grace In Action, 7725 West Vernor, Detroit

Gina Damron/Detroit Free Press

Read the rest of this post »

Photo: Harriet Tubman Center

BY ORALANDAR BRAND-WILLIAMS / THE DETROIT NEWS

Detroit— Ministers representing about 30 local churches called for a cease-fire of violence in the city and officially unveiled a crime prevention program today at a news conference at Detroit Police headquarters

The community program, "Detroit Night Walks,"will involve pastors and church members walking parts of the city in an anti-crime effort.

Training for the program will begin as early as Friday, said Rev. Edgar Vann II, one of the key organizers of the program and pastor of Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit. There also will be a youth-led, anti-violence rally Saturday at five participating churches.

Detroit Night Walks is a component of the Cease Fire program used in other cities with crime problems.

"We want this to become like a new Neighborhood Watch," said Vann, referencing the nation-wide crime prevention program usually facilitated by a local law enforcement agency. Vann and the other pastors were joined by Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade and other local law enforcement officials.

"We're calling for a cease-fire in the city, said Vann today.

The program, said Vann, is also aimed at "changing hearts, changing minds and changing lives."

Godbee said the input of community organizations is very important to dealing with the crime issue in the city and that "we need to level every community organization," in the fight against crime.

"This is community commitment," Godbee said about the Detroit Nights Walks and Cease Fire programs. "This is community driven."

Brazen and burgeoning crime incidents in many of the city's neighborhood have residents worried what the summer will bring.

Last week, the city made national headlines after Rev. Marvin Winans, a Grammy Award-winning gospel artist and pastor of Perfecting Church was carjacked and assaulted at a CITGO gas station on Linwood and Davison.

McQuade praised the group's efforts saying, "we will not let Detroit be defined by violence."

"We're going to be part of the solution," said McQuade, who met with Vann and others a year ago about community programs aimed at reducing crime in the city.

McQuade said cities such as Chicago, Boston and Memphis have used the Cease Fire program, which is funded by the U.S. Justice Department as part of community groups' efforts to stamp out violence.

Cody High School junior Quentin McKinnon, a member of the YOUTH VOICE Clergy Team, said he is happy to see the churches getting involved.

McKinnon, 16, said he was attacked two years ago at a bus stop on the way home from school.

"I was startled and scared," said McKinnon, who said he began to "switch up" his routes to get to and from school to avoid being attacked again

"People are still being (attacked)," said McKinnon. "How many more people are going to be jumped? How many more people are going to be hurt?"

bwilliams@detnews.com

(313) 222-2027

LAUNCH INCLUDES A WEEKEND OF TRAINING AND PRAYER DEDICATED TO
ENDING THE VIOLENCE

Follows the nationally renowned “Boston TenPoint Coalition” Strategy

Detroit, MI – In just two months, more than 30 clergy and their congregations have answered the call to work with law enforcement on an initiative called “Detroit Night Walks.” “Today’s press conference is a call to action for more to join us. We have churches in all corners of Detroit, but we want to fill in as many neighborhoods as possible with a peaceful, but powerful presence,” said Detroit Police Commissioner Pastor James Warfield of Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church. “We are not evangelizing, yet we are sending a spiritual message and hopefully opening up the lines of communication in the neighborhood,” said Bishop Edgar L. Vann II of Second Ebenezer Church. The two joined forces to launch “Detroit Night Walks,” as a strategy to help build community engagement and community trust. “Organizing to help prevent crime and stabilize our neighborhoods,” are the words of Minister James Booker, an organizer of the newly formed YOUTH VOICE Clergy Team of the Harriet Tubman Center. The reasons are obvious – according to the F.B.I., Detroit has 468 crimes per square mile and the national median is 39 crimes per square mile. “Too many are living in fear. Too many vulnerable are being preyed upon. Everyday counts, we have a sense of urgency around Detroit Night Walks,” said Vann.

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee understands the community plays an integral role in crime prevention, and has consistently asked them to be the eyes and ears in their neighborhoods. “Night Walks takes this concept one step further and adds the presence of clergy with lay people. Clergy have the ability to broker trust in the community and their presence will be welcomed,” he said. “Night Walks,” is a component of the CEASE FIRE gun violence prevention strategy endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice. “We are implementing CEASE FIRE in Detroit, which includes prevention, intervention and enforcement. We are most grateful to the clergy who are organizing Detroit Night Walks,” said U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade. “We need the community to work with law enforcement and this program exemplifies the prevention side of CEASE FIRE,” she said.

YOUTH VOICE Chief of Staff of the Executive Board, Quentin McKinnon, a junior at Cody Detroit Institute of Technology, is especially happy about Detroit Night Walks launching. “We really need CEASE FIRE now. People are getting jumped, robbed and beaten at my school’s bus stop. It is one thing to talk about crime prevention, but we really need to do something now,” he said.
Two trainings for “Night Walks,” will take place in May and June and a youth-led prayer rally will take place at five churches on May 26 (see information below).

Clergy and laypeople are invited to the following programs to launch Detroit Night Walks:

- May 25: Phase I of the Detroit Night Walks Training called “Violence as a Disease,” presented by Pastor Michael McBride, Director of PICO CEASEFIRE/Lifelines in Oakland, California. Presented by YOUTH VOICE & THE YOUTH VOICE CLERGY TEAM.

Friday, May 25
6pm-7:30pm
Second Ebenezer Church
14601 Dequindre
Followed by the first “Night Walk” at Solomon’s Temple @ 7:30pm
2341 E. 7 Mile Road

- May 26: 313 Youth Prayer Rally at five Detroit Churches at 2pm, with prayer at exactly 3:13pm. More than 2,000 youth are anticipated across the five churches.

1. Second Ebenezer Church, Bishop Edgar L. Vann II, Senior Pastor (Eastern Region) –
2. Lighthouse Community Church, Rev. Lemar A. Tabb (Northwest region)
3. 15820 Wyoming Detroit, MI 48238
4. Third New Hope (West Campus), Dr. E. L. Branch, Senior Pastor (West region)
5. 5439 West Warren Detroit, MI 48210
6. Citadel of Faith Covenant Church, Rev. Harvey Carey, Senior Pastor (Midtown region)
7. 1419 W. Warren Ave., Detroit, MI 48208
8. Grace In Action, John Cummings, Senior Pastor (Southwest region) 7725 West Vernor Detroit, MI 48209

- June 15: Phase II of Training for Detroit Night Walks – Location and Times TBD.

For information on the YOUTH VOICE CLERGY TEAM and trainings, contact Minister James Booker at 313.401.9661 or email james.booker@tubmanorganizing.org.

Steve Carmody/Michigan Radio

Photo by Steve Carmody/Michigan Radio

A new group is trying to organize clergy members statewide to address the problem of youth violence in Michigan.

The group Prophetic Voices gathered a Christian, Muslim and other religious leaders to a meeting in Lansing this past week. 

Reverend Ira Edwards is the spokesman for Prophetic Voices.   He says youth violence is hurting more than just young people in Michigan.

"Cause every time you have one youth kill another one…that’s two families that have been destroyed," says Edwards,  "And if we don’t do something to stem the tide…then we’re going to lose our youth.   And when Satan can destroy the youth…he can destroy the nation.”

The religious leaders hope to expand their membership in the year ahead…and come up with ways to lessen youth violence in Michigan.

YOUTH VOICE President Lawrence Williams and Vice President Nicole Lassiter joined a delegation of Detroit officials in Washington D.C. for the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention earlier this month. Because of the city’s struggle with youth violence, Detroit is one of six cities selected by the Department of Justice to be a part of the federal youth violence prevention plan. 

City representatives, including Detroit Youth Violence Prevention Initiative (YVPI) chair and former Deputy Mayor Saul Green, the Mayor’s Chief Service Officer Annie Ellington, US Attorney Barbara McQuade, Chief of Police Ralph Godbee Jr.and other Detroit leaders, gave an update on the city’s efforts to reduce youth violence and listened to presentations from federal officials and other city representatives.

Read the rest of this post »

It spread to YOUTH VOICE building relationships and sharing stories with the community and public officials.

It spread even further to engaging clergy and other strong community stakeholders to help YOUTH VOICE do research on violence reduction initiatives.

It took a rally, a march and countless hours of research and discussion.

And finally, after nearly two years of working on the campaign, YOUTH VOICE had an evening of celebration - David Kennedy came to town.

YOUTH VOICE has been working with city officials to implement the violence reduction program Ceasefire—a model that has proved to reduce gun violence in cities across the country. David Kennedy, Director for the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is the creator of the Ceasefire model and his team has partnered with cities across the country for over 15 years to implement Ceasefire.

This month, Mr. Kennedy and his team met with the Detroit Youth Violence Prevention Initiative and YOUTH VOICE to discuss bringing the model to Detroit.

Read the rest of this post »

Last week, YOUTH VOICE executive board and members met with a 15-member team from the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.  The youth shared with them the work that they have been doing to get Cease Fire, a nationally recognized youth violence reduction model, implemented in the City of Detroit.

Tuesday, YOUTH VOICE President Lawrence Williams, and Co-President Nicole Lassiter, were invited to sit on a panel to discuss Youth Violence Prevention at an open house at Wayne County Community College hosted by the White House Office. Other members of the panel included former Deputy Mayor Saul Green, David Perkins a Family Court Referee for the Wayne County 3rd Cicuit Court, and Minister James Booker from MADE Men.

Read the rest of this post »

via detroit.cbslocal.com

DETROIT (WWJ) – One hundred or more members of a group called “Youth Voice” marched in downtown Detroit, Thursday, for an end to violence.

Youth Voice secretary Nichol Lassiter said the group wants the mayor, police chief and U.S. Attorney to adopt a national violence reduction program called “Ceasefire”.

Lassiter said they want to get more ordinary citizens involved in helping to curb violence in the city.

Read the rest of this post »

Amy Lang/WJBK Fox 2

DETROIT (WJBK) - We've heard from the politicians and the police. Now, we're hearing from the youth of the City of Detroit. They want to stop the violence.

Read the rest of this post »