Contributor Stephen Pederson talked with Britney Lee to find out more about the Highland Peace March and Cedar Grove Peace March, both set for 10am Saturday, March 28.
The Highland Peace March will begin at Columbia Park (600 Columbia St.), while the Cedar Grove Peace March will begin at the 78th Street Friendship House (536 E. 78th St.). Britney is a Community Renewal International Community Coodinator here in Shreveport.
A shooting incident at the 78th Street Friendship House occurred Thursday, March 19, which sparked the need for these peace marches.
Subsequent shots were fired on the same day two hours later on Wyandotte Street in Shreveport’s Highland neighborhood. Another shooting occurred March 5 on College Street in the Highland neighborhood, and a drive-by shooting occurred on Highland Ave. on Feb. 28.
The peace marches are a response to these shootings; an effort to show how many people love Highland and their respective neighborhood, in a loving, supporting way.
Who: My name is Britney Lee, and I am a Community Coordinator for one of two Community Renewal International’s Friendship Houses in the Highland Neighborhood.
What: The idea for the Peace March was originally launched by one of our CRI Community Coordinators in the Cedar Grove neighborhood, Marlon Jackson, after a shooting incident caused bullets to go through the 78th St. Friendship House (where he lives with his wife and children) during the time of their after-school program last Thursday evening – no one on the property was hurt. The Jackson Family, along with their friends and neighbors, organized a Peace March in response to the event.
Two hours after the shots were fired in Cedar Grove, a shooting was reported in the Highland Neighborhood as well (the third in three weeks). So in an effort to both stand in solidarity with Cedar Grove for our shared experience as well as to create an opportunity for caring Highlanders to get visible and connected, I and a few neighbors began planning a second Peace March to take place the same time and date (this one in Highland).
Why: We moved into Highland a few years ago because we love the neighborhood, the people living here, and the potential it has to become a better place a little at a time. We also believe that the best way for this to happen is for good, caring folks to get to know one another, and to form the interconnected friendships which will continue to make our area a safe and loving home for all involved.
Those of us living here who are able to have dog-walking conversations, or attend block parties, or take part in festivals at the park, or visit across backyards know the unique beauty that Highland offers in its diversity and community. The response to the negative that we see in crime reports is often that of panic, dread, and flight. What we want to do is to gather folks together who believe there is far more good here than what we may see periodically in the news or read in the papers.
There are caring people whose walls of fear naturally come down, we know, the more they get to know one another and unite over the common goal of making our neighborhood an even better place to live. The Peace March is a means to that end.
Where/When: We’re inviting folks to come out and gather with us at Columbia Park on Saturday to do a multi-block march for peace and caring in Highland.
We’re encouraging those marching to make signs that express the things we are for (rather than what we’re against). Examples might include: “We Love Highland,” “Safety in Neighbors,” “Knowing Neighbors > Being Scared of Neighbors,” “Unite for Peace,” “Connected and Caring,” “Highland is our Home,” etc.
The Cedar Grove Peace March will be taking place at the same time; kicking off from the Youth Friendship House on 78th Street. Folks are welcome to join either march. For information, people can contact me by phone (318) 245-0485, email (britneywinnlee@gmail.com), or call the CRI Offices at (318) 425-3222.
Views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Posters by @sarahduet. Photo by @speederson.