In
a city racked by the paroxysms of violence, an activist in Chicago is
turning to the Nation
of Islam
to help create a peace summit between warring gang factions.
Tio
Hardiman,
director of CeaseFire
Illinois,
toldNewsOne
that he is in early talks with representatives forNation
of Islam
Leader Louis
Farrakhan
to hold a summit at Mosque
Maryam,
Farrakhan’s national headquarters in the city’s South Shore
community, before Labor Day.
The goal is to
help stanch the gang violence that has caused the city’s homicide
rate to soar 38 percent in the first six months of the year. So far,
the city has seen 308 homicides through the end of July, compared to
243 in 2011, according to CBS
Chicago. Eighty
percent of those deaths have been attributed to gangs and
Black-on-Black crime, said Hardiman, whose group was recently awarded
a $1-million contract to help mediate conflicts in crime-plagued
communities.
“African
American youth are crying out for help in the form of violence,”
Hardiman told NewsOne. “They don’t know how to settle disputes.
The average coward can shoot an unarmed person. Cowards who catch
someone off guard are doing most of the killing. They just shoot
someone in the head and keep going. They don’t care who gets caught
in the crossfire. We have to change that mind-set.”
Farrakhan’s
office did not return phone calls by press time, but Mosque Marymam,
with its airtight security, is the ideal place to hold the summit
when bringing together active gang members, Hardiman said.
“When
you bring these warring factions together, you want to make sure
there is no margin of error,” Hardiman said. “No one is trying to
get anyone to join the Nation of Islam. We just want to educate them
to stop the killing. There is no better place to do this than Mosque
Maryam.”
Farrakhan
has been on a mission to tackle the violence himself. On July 6, he
famously proclaimed onWVON
1690 AM
in Chicago during an interview with Cliff
Kelly
that “I’m
going to lead the Nation in to the streets”
across the nation:
When
the Nation of Islam was strong, we were in the streets and when we
were in the streets, the violence—we had it—but it was not like
it is today, so Brother Farrakhan is going to lead the Fruit of Islam
in to the streets. We are going to help our people. We have to take
our teaching and our example to our people.
It
is a tremendous tragedy and a scourge on our community that after we
have suffered so much from so many, for so long, that we would become
the worst enemies of self. This is grievous. We are filled with
self-hatred and I have to say to us as parents, we took our eyes off
the prize, he added.
on
July 16 and July 23 in the Auburn-Gresham, Englewood, and South Shore
neighborhoods — all communities that have experienced spasms of
violence. Chicago Mayor Rahm
Emanuel,
the city’s first Jewish mayor, has welcomed Farrakhan’s support
despite his history of making anti-Semitic remarks.
Jer
8:11- For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people
slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace.
Jer
8:15- We looked for peace, but no good [came; and] for a time of
health, and behold trouble!
Deu
28:54- [So that] the man [that is] tender among you, and very
delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother,
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