Video: Dre Marches For Peace in E. Cleveland

Video By Joey Pompignano
Photo by Kyle Roerink
Story by Joey Pompignano

More than 300 people participated in a march for peace led by AM 1490 radio host Basheer Jones on Cleveland's East Side. Afterwards, community members organized a town hall meeting at Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center where committees were formed to help improve the well-being of the city.
Kent State sophomore aeronautics major Andre Moss attended the event in remembrance of his older brother Kevin, who was shot and killed during a robbery gone bad in 2004.
Moss and his brother grew up together in Cleveland Heights, but Moss said Kevin moved to St. Clair Avenue and got involved with what he described as the "wrong crowd."
Moss said he felt compelled to get involved in the rally and hear local activists speak about ways in making the streets safer.
"I always wondered what it'd be like to be in a march," Moss said. "It just makes you inspired to do positive things."

Rally Against Violence

Written By Dwayne Yates
Photos by Kyle Roerink
UHURU Magazine

Naijee Patterson is a 15-year-old Cleveland native who lost his friend “Big Baby” to gun violence a week before he marched in Basheer Jones’ rally against violence November 21.
“He and his two other friends were walking, and a dude named Marco came behind him and shot him because he didn’t like where he was from,” Patterson said.
This is the first time Patterson has marched in anything except a parade, but this is Jones’ second rally against violence in East Cleveland this year. People lined up at the corner of 79th and St. Clair and marched to 82nd and Hough. Almost 300 people marched and yelled down the grey pavement in unison for less violence and more peace.
Even some spectators were so moved by the what they were seeing, they joined in the march.
“People just need to get the message that violence is nonsense,” Patterson said. “It’s no need for it. It’s bad for the community. I get tired of all these mothers and fathers crying. It’s hurting our neighborhood.”
Stephanie Pope also participated in the march. She is a parole officer, and she has never marched before. She said she was excited to be marching for a good cause.
“Six of my clients have died in the last two years--30 and under--and most of them to gun violence,” Pope said. “It’s important to get as many people as you can out to stand up against violence because our young people are dying everyday.”
She said she feels that the march could be a start to a change in the attitudes of the people of Cleveland.
“People can stand up and march all day, but until people become active it’s not going to change anything,” she said. “Maybe it’ll bring awareness and make people think about it more and then maybe they will want to be a part of the process.”
Pope said she would like to see a mentoring program start in the community to mentor the youth and provide guidance. She said a lot of them are lost and do not have family and parents like others do, which makes them believe that a life of crime is all right to lead.