Northeast Houston is considered one of the most dangerous areas in our city. Gang violence had taken over the streets. The elderly are afraid to come outside. Children have no safe zones to play outside. For many, things have gotten out of control and need to be contained.
This past Saturday afternoon, December 19, hundreds of activists, community leaders and concerned citizens descended on the 9600 block of Homestead @ Tidwell, with a message of “peace in the streets” and continuing their fifth in a series of Stop the Violence “Peace Walks” that have been held in the city of Houston to address the senseless bloodshed in the inner city.
Muslim activist Deric Muhammad and Christian Pastor E.A. Deckard have once again come together to call on the Black, Latino and other concerned communities to unite like never before in order to “Reclaim Our Communities and declare that “Enough is Enough.”
In time for the holidays, Muhammad and Deckard were able give away hundreds of bags of groceries during the “Peace Walk,” which means those who were in need of food during this holiday season received the opportunity to actually cook a real meal for the children.
There is a war on “two fronts” in the Black community. There is a continuous fight against a myriad of injustices that have been leveled against African Americans by law enforcement, the criminal justice system and the mainstream media. However, some of the worst injustices that we see, stems from the internal conflicts taking place within the Black community that has led to an onslaught of Black-on-Black violence and murder.
If you judge the city of Houston based on the first seven minutes of local nightly news reports, it would appear that the Black community has become a war zone.
Muhammad and Deckard’s objectives are to:
- Galvanize the community to speak out against gun violence
- Show support for families of victims of violence and murder
- Promote a recently established “conflict resolution hotline” (citizens may call for intervention when they see conflict escalating in their community)
- Encourage men to stand up to make their own communities a safe place to live
For more information on future Stop The Violence “Peace Walks” contact Deric Muhammad at 713.539.1070.