Local group taking stand against violence with rally, community fun day today

YOUNGSTOWN

Baby steps are as good as giant steps when it comes to ending violence.

Just so you’re moving forward.

Those were Toni McBride’s thoughts this afternoon during Imani Community Programming’s Stop the Violence Rally and Community Fun Day at Christ Centered Church on Hudson Avenue.

McBride, executive director of ICP, said she wasn’t sure what kind of turnout to expect for the inaugural event, but was pleased with the number.

“I’m really not sure how many people have been here, but I can tell you that we’ve gone through 200 hot dogs,” she said, laughing. “I’m just pleased that anyone came out at all because it’s important.”

McBride said she’s grown frustrated by increasing violence, both locally and nationally, and felt it was time to stand up and call for an end. She said an incident this week during which a man was shot during at a funeral in Tod Homestead Cemetery on the city’s North Side was a glaring example of how out of control the problem has become.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “And people read about things like that and say, ‘They’ should do something about that.’ Well, who is the ‘they’ they’re talking about? It’s us. We all should be the ones who stand up and say ‘enough is enough.’ That’s why we’re here today. We’re taking a stand as a community against violence.”

Read more about the event and the problem in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.