August 5 update
Date: Tue, Aug. 05, 2008
August 5, 2008
Hi, everyone--
Tonight is the 25th annual National Night Out Against Crime, and neighborhoods all over New Orleans will hold block parties and hosted events in recognition of the date. We as a city still have a long way to go before we can claim to be truly united with our police force, our criminal justice system, and each other in the struggle against violent crime. Yet occasions like the Night Out Against Crime remind us that our goals as citizens and officials are the same, even if we often differ in our perspectives and our methods. Every New Orleanian, every police officer, and every elected official wants to see our city grow safer. If the police sometimes seem out of touch with our concerns and our criminal justice officials seem lackluster in their performance, it only increases the need for citizens to go out on a night like tonight and speak with them, remind them of the individual lives and the personal stories that are the real test of their effectiveness, and the most potent source for their motivation.
Brendan McCarthy and Michael DeMocker sent just such a message in their praiseworthy recent Times-Picayune series, “Homicide 37,” which chronicled the murder of 17-year-old Lance Zarders and its aftermath. Through personal details and candid images that ranged from the shocking (such as the images and description of the crime scene) to the touching (such as domestic photographs testifying to the loving family Lance came from), this series captuted the personal tragedy that strikes with each violent loss of a New Orleanian. SilenceIsViolence is so grateful to these journalists for bucking the conventionally objective, callous approach that the media usually adopts in reporting violent assaults on our families, neighborhoods, and city.
“Homicide 37” also captured another complex issue that directly impacts our safety: the justifiable but devastating witness fear and intimidation that compromises so many murder cases in New Orleans. Stronger ties between citizens and police, and clear-eyed recognition of our civic duty to stand up for what is right, are essential if we are to see a break in this problem. The cycle of violence will only continue as long as citizens, police, reporters, and victims remain entrenched in separate camps with divergent understandings and perspectives. The National Night Out Against Crime offers an opportunity to renew our mutual determination to break through these trenches and find paths toward trust in and collaboration with those who are tasked with protecting us. Only through a reciprocal nurturing of this trust can we move toward sustainable safety in our neighborhoods, and avoid tragedies such as the devastating loss that haunts Lance Zarders’s family.
Please attend your neighborhood Night Out Against Crime event. Speak with the police officers in your neighborhood. Tell them of your personal concerns and those of your family and neighbors. If you cannot go out, turn on your porch lights to show your support for family- and community-centered policing. A list of neighborhood events is available in the Metro section of today’s Times-Picayune. The city-hosted kick-off event will be held at the Fair Grounds (1751 Gentilly Blvd.), beginning at 5pm.
Finally, this Friday, August 8, SilenceIsViolence will co-sponsor our third annual “Speak Up” event, featuring works of anti-violence art, music, and poetry by local high school students. Together with the Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund, SilenceIsViolence holds this series as a reminder that our young people are a critical resource in the struggle against crime, and the arts a powerful tool toward the expression of hopes, fears, and possible solutions. The event will be held at 6pm at Sound Cafe (2700 Chartres Street, in the Marigny). Refreshments will be served. For more information, call Nakita Shavers at (504) 235-2084.
www.silenceisviolence.org
