I see a lot of stories about members of the clergy who are supposedly trying to combat violent crime, particularly those committed with a firearm, in their communities. All too often, it’s really nothing more than “awareness” campaigns that don’t accomplish anything beyond allowing participants to pat themselves on the backs for being good people.
The dangerous people aren’t exactly moved to renounce their violent ways. In fact, I can’t think of a single scrap of evidence suggesting that such efforts do anything.
So when I came across a story about a clergyman in Ohio calling for “community action” to address the town’s issues with violent crime, I inwardly cringed.
Then I read the story, and it seems this time, we’re talking about something a bit more tangible.
Bishop Sonny James, from Norwood’s Keep It Real Ministries, brought together community organizations, local politicians and other religious leaders to have a dialogue about gun violence in the Cincinnati area.
The “Hear Every Perspective” event took place Sunday evening at Victory Park. A sign at the park’s gazebo read “HELP OUR YOUTH.”
“Stop the crime, stop gun violence,” Bishop James shouted through the evening. Those words would echo across the park, as those in attendance would echo the call.
This event is part of what Bishop James said is a part of his new initiative, “The Called to Action”.
“It’s so significant that we understand that each hour that passes by lives are changing, lives are ending,” Bishop James said when discussing the level of pain violence inflicts on the community.
Bishop James repeatedly called on wealthy community members or “multi-million dollar donors” as he called them. His message was asking those with the means to make sizable donations to local organizations that work directly with the youth in the community, trying to keep them from falling into crime or violence.
Now, there are still issues here, such as singling out the wealthy people and acting like they inherently owe something to others.
Yet if they’re going to be bothered by the violent crime–and my own experience tells me that they are–then the onus is also on them to do more than gripe about it. Plus, Bishop James isn’t calling for gun control. The community-based efforts he wants will target the people most likely to commit violent crimes and steer them in a very different direction.
This is something that needs to happen, and it’s productive in more ways than in reducing violent crime. This can lead to greater economic benefits for the community as well since these are people who can get well-paying jobs and hold them for long periods of time.
Even if they don’t, though, less violent crime is a good thing and yes, this is a perfectly valid approach to addressing the issue. What’s more, it doesn’t take government intervention. It doesn’t require taxpayer money nor does it require an entire bureaucracy to manage it. It just takes people stepping up and dealing with the problems before them.
I’m not going to lie, it’s a refreshing change of pace compared to so much of what I see on a day-to-day basis.
