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Thunderclouds loomed as the Black Lives Matter/Stop the Violence March and Rally gathered on the evening of Monday, July 20. Organizer Ric Gordon and his cohort of activists, LaWann Stribling, Carla Johns, Amanda Jennings, Lucy Silver and Janna Parker, were not deterred. Gordon opened with a poem from Dr. Benjamin Mays, I Have Only Just a Minute: “But it’s up to me to use it. I must suffer if I lose it. Give account if I abuse it … but eternity is in it.”
Gordon reminded the marchers that in this moment, those who had come on foot and on bicycles in 90-plus degree weather were giving an account for eternity.
As the marchers gathered, messages emblazoned across T-shirts reinforced the tenor of the rally: Black Skin is not a Crime, Black Lives Matter in Sign Language, and the haunting picture of a Greenbelt family whose father was killed by violence.
The Black Lives March was broadened to include stopping the violence in Franklin Park. Speaker after speaker reminded the audience that Franklin Park is a part of Greenbelt. Pas-tor Claude Jennings of Impact Fellowship, pointing to the crowd, said that this is what neighborliness looks like. “While those who do wrong seem loud, those of us who are about justice must be louder.” He acknowledged the Greenbelt Police Department, including Chief Rick Bowers, standing with the marchers and that “we must march in unity, love and peace.”
Councilmember Emmett Jordan followed and spoke of the cultural, social and racial divisions that have too long separated us.
Mayor Colin Byrd showed up “booted and suited” in the 99-degree weather to challenge the marchers to “take our community back, block by block.” He called the names of victims of violence in Greenbelt and thanked the Greenbelt Police Department for securing arrests and offering some sense of comfort and justice to the families.
Byrd, reading from prepared notes, reminded the crowd that there is no single cause and no single solution to crime. He cited past attempts at quick solutions from the broken window policies, where strict enforcement became the mandate, to a focus on gun control, to a focus on fewer police officers and more attention to mental health treatment. He stressed that a jump to an oversimplified cause of crime is as errant as an oversimplified solution. “The litany of causes cited by experts as the root cause of crime requires that the community’s response must be as varied.” He reminded us that police enforcement is only part of the solution – that it cannot be the only solution. “The people in this community will determine how much crime is in this community. Excellence should be the standard. There may be obstacles, but not excuses.” He concluded his remarks by saying unity is not uniformity. That a loving family is not perfect, but a loving family solves problems. He reminded listeners that Franklin Park is referred to as the ‘hood and asked the crowd “what is missing?” “Neigh-bor” was the response. “Neighbor,” he repeated. “This is a neighborhood,” he ended.
As the threat of rain passed, a slight breeze rustled the leaves as the marchers headed down the street chanting, No Justice, No Peace; Black Lives Matter; Unity, Love and Peace; and One Greenbelt.