by Sonya Bernard-Hollins, publisher
editor@comvoicesonline.com
Headline photo: Lt. Vernon Coakley answers a question from the audience as City Commissioner Stephanie Moore, the Rev. Strick Strickland, and the Rev. Dr. Michael T. Scott listen in.
KALAMAZOO (MICH.)-As small towns such as Aurora, Colo., (movie theater shooting) and (Sandy Hook Elementary School) Newtown, Conn., experience tragedy at the hand of mentally-challenged gunmen, Kalamazoo ministers want to make sure it doesn’t strike its city. On Feb. 5, members of the Northside Ministerial Alliance (NMA) held a press conference in order to address the need to protect the community, and its children, from the violence associated with the misuse of guns. They will work from the “bottom up (to Federal government) to combat the issue of assault weapons in the community.
The Rev. Dr. Michael T. Scott Sr., pastor of Galilee Baptist Church and president of the NMA, led the conference held directly after the NMA’s weekly community prayer meeting held at his church on the city’s north side.
Scott was joined by executive committee members of the NMA: Rev. Lenzy Bell (First United Baptist Church), Rev. Gloria Clark (Allen Chapel A.M.E.), and Rev. Strick Strickland (Second Baptist Church). Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety was represented by Lt. Vernon Coakley, and City Commissioner Stephanie Moore who served as the program facilitator. The committee wanted to not only reaffirm their efforts of combating violence in the community, but to share their efforts in taking the matter to the top government levels as a group.
Scott said, just as emergency medical and police units are called to a tragic shooting, the clergy is among those the families turn to first to help get them through the grieving process. He said there are an average of 85 lives lost daily due to irresponsible gun owners. He said the misuse of guns are done by those with intent to harm others or themselves. The shootings took place in areas where people were vulnerable to mentally-ill assailants.
The clergy joined forces to present letters to city, state and federal governments on their stance to help protect their community. Issues they want to address include:
*Requiring private gun sellers to require background checks on their customers;
*Making Background Checks a requirement for any gun purchase,
*Making gun trafficking a federal crime, and
*Implementing improvements to mental health services to those in need.
Others on the panel shared devastating statistics about gun violence. The Rev. Strickland said that while minorities purchase less than 17% of assault rifles, 80% of the crimes in minority communities are done with assault weapons.
“It is in the best interest of our nation to create stronger (gun) laws, and know where (assault) rifles are (owners) and hold them accountable,” Strickland said.
Lt. Coakley said the Department of Public Safety supports the efforts of NMA, as they too lost one of their own officers (Eric Zapata) to gun violence.
Some members of the audience had concerns on what the NMA plans to do as their next step. Those like David Huffman, an associate professor at Western Michigan University, were astounded by the use of assault weapons by everyday people.
“Why are assault weapons on the streets? What’s gone wrong?” he asked of Lt. Coakley.
Coakley responded that while its not illegal to own an assault rifle, what people are doing with them is illegal. He said that the number of rounds offered in magazines is an issue that even the federal government is working to decrease.
Pastor Bell said that the church will approach the matter on a moral level.
“It is our job to provide individuals with ways to handle situations, morally. When we do that, we allow people to seek more resources for their problems; and options to handle conflict other than with violence,” Bell said. He said, “we are the first responders when families are dealing with tragedy.”
The NMA plans to work with others in the community to continue curb the violence in the community, particularly as it relates to weapons. He quoted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said in relation to the violence during the Civil Rights Movement, “time is always right, to do what is right.”
