Baltimore is beginning the New Year with a spike in homicides of more than one per day. This is the 16th of January and as of the 15th we have had sixteen murders. What could be the cause of this awful tragic situation? Why are people so senselessly murdering one another? What can be done to curtail these occurrences?
For one all people of good will must join in opposition to this lawlessness. The Police and the Political leaders must activate the power of true citizen participation. How do you do this? For one the religious and faith based institutions need the resources of the police and the political arenas to be funneled through them.
If you were to make these institutions true job centers, you would discover an ability to interact with the community in a positive way. The issue of violence has moral implications as well as social implications. A respect for life and a fear of eternal consequences for one's actions is embedded in the faith traditions of long standing. The belief that God is the ultimate judge for your actions places upon a believer a responsibility to follow God's law. Clearly God says, "Thou Shall Not Kill!" This command of God must be woven into the fabric of our community and society.
Secondly, the faith institutions must become true centers of economic and social power. People need the support of the faith institution and the faith institution needs the support of the police and political leaders. Intentional resources from public sources should flow through these institutions. They have their ears to the earth and their feet on the ground. They have street credibility that can be leveraged within every community.
Thirdly, we have to eliminate anonymity within our communities. We need the faith institutions to increase its outreach and social gatherings. We need to be the cultural centers of the community and the informational resource for its residents. Every persons within our area of service should be known, their needs should be understood, and assistance of a very specific nature should be directed towards them and their families. Every entity within a community must be engaged in alleviating violence of any form.
If the faith institutions where in their proper place and received the resources it needed, you would see a reduction of acts of violence within local communities because the message of peace and hope would have substance.
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