by Russell Simmons
My heart and thoughts go out to the families who have been hurt in the unfortunate raping of a 7 year-old girl in Trenton, NJ last week. Although I’m a supporter, I’ve decided not to attend the peace rally this Saturday, April 10th in Trenton. There has been a lot of misinformation spread regarding those that will be in attendance, and in my career I’ve seen how sometimes celebrity-driven rallies can undermine the importance of a community’s moment of solidarity. I have, however, reached out to the Mayor of Trenton and he has agreed to co-fund a Peacekeepers Training Movement with me, in which the men and women of Trenton will learn techniques on how to patrol the streets of their community and inject the kind of love that only community members can give. Although I will not be attending the rally, I look forward to attending the launch of the Peacekeepers Training Movement in Trenton.
I send my prayers to the victim and to members of the community who are still suffering from this horrific event.
About THE PEACEKEEPERS
The Peacekeeper initiative deters crime and violence by introducing a strong presence of community men into unstable neighborhoods to make streets safe for our women, children and seniors. They believe that crime and violence in our community is a social problem that can never be resolved by an influx of police and more prisons. It also restores pride in our men, trust/respect in our women and strength within our communities.
