The Community Walks

Six p.m. .  The sun is shining, kids with balloons, homemade flags and face-paint.  Dogs underfoot, sniffing each other and sensing the excitement.  All eyes on the front as some speeches are made, some drumming and sweet grass action and the final "LET'S GO!".  Police stop traffic and the horde of neighbors, friends, kids, activists, dogs move into the street to show our faces to the streets.  In response to the violence last week (read "Two Teens") that also included two little girls injured by flying bullets into their window (in retaliation), the neighborhood decided we need to make our presence known, to go to those streets and make a deal about guns, crime, violence that has affected 4 kids, 5 if you include the six-year old who was assualted in a home by the local playground (not gang related).  About 150 of us showed up in an impromtu march down Toronto St, up Victor and on Ellice coming to the MERC community center, where many of us chatted and caught up with news on our various areas.

Summer brings it's joys and excitements and its sorrows, especially down here in the West End.  Last night the boys heard "shots" which we discovered were fireworks across the street.  Going to school this morning, (as I was missing a meeting of west-end church leaders about recent events here) I saw the results of an accident.  I recognized the mom of a girl going to the kids school.  They were bandaging her up and taking her into the ambulance, her van totalled and her little girl (who was ok) tightly hugging her dad.  The police on the scene seemed in a jovial mood for some reason, joking amoung themselves and seeing my dog Cyclone, asking about her and what breed she was.  My thoughts and prayers were directed towards all this as I ambled away down past the school, amazed that children still skipped to school, people going about thier business, me left wondering where this was all going and half of it I know is un "fixable".  Some of this just is.
For me to "be", live in love and not fear and hate is half the battle.  Cheering on the good, and rejecting the bad, speaking up where I can and shutting up where I know words won't cut it.  Let true wisdom and truth shine and those who long for Peace be drawn to it.  That is my prayer.