Faith leaders join call to end gun violence
Community members attend the Faith In Action Alabama meeting in Mobile
By Ariel Mallory
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MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — Faith leaders in the Mobile community are taking matters into their own hands to stop the gun violence.
Faith In Action Alabama held a public forum Thursday night to get their message out, “Stop now, Live now, We want to live!”
The purpose of the forum was to build relationships within the community so that message can become more than just words.
Community Organizer Pastor Marvin Charles Lue Jr. says it’s a plan that’s been five years in the making for not only the city of Mobile but surrounding cities across the state.
He says they are working to change the narrative.
“We want to stop the headlines. We want to stop the blood in the streets and we want to make sure that our community knows we can do this together.”
Those headlines are showing some alarming statistics.
This year, Mobile is possibly headed toward the most homicides we’ve had in the past 10 years.
Pastor Lue says in order to change those numbers people have got to get involved.
“If we continue just to ignore it, if we continue just to look past it and just leave it in certain segments of our communities it unfortunately will come and bite us,” Pastor Lue said.
City officials showed their support in the cause including Police Chief Paul Prine and District 2 City Councilman William Carroll.
With recent shootings in Carroll’s district he feels getting guns off the street is one place to start.
“By the time we hear the gunshot a lot of times kids or someone are laying in the street,” Carroll said. “So the most important thing I think is to concentrate on helping to stop the violence helping to find the reasons and why.”
The hope for Faith In Action is to decrease violent crime in the port city and build better relationships within the faith community, so that people know they aren’t fighting this battle alone.
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