Posted on 05/08/2015 5:58:37 AM PDT by EBH
CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - All eyes are on Cleveland as the city moves closer to a verdict in Officer Michael Brelo's trial, which is why local pastors are banding together to promote peace. When the Brelo verdict comes down and the Tamir Rice investigation wraps up, will protesters be calm or violent?
Bishop Eugene Ward, from the Greater Love Baptist Church, wants Cleveland to remember two simple words: peaceful protest.
"We need you to be peaceful. We need you to stand with us, and show us, and walk with us, and share with us that Cleveland is a city that can come together and we can be strong as one," said Ward. The group of pastors wants to create at least two new centers in area churches to help teach residents ways to protest peacefully, new life skills and job training.
"We know we can't fix this overnight. We know it's not just the voice of the faith-based community, but it takes partnerships with government, corporations, etc. These things are in place, we just hope that we have officials who will put policies in place to join us to encourage people to take proactive steps," said Bishop Tony Minor, of the Community of Faith Assembly.
Pastor Aaron Phillips, with the Surehouse Baptist Church, adds he stands next to the Rice family in asking why the investigation into the 12-year-old's shooting death has taken five months. Still, he wants to remind Clevelanders that they can obtain results without breaking windows.
"Just because we are calling for peace, doesn't mean that we are not asking for justice," said Phillips.
The ministers are going door to door speaking with young people in hopes of reminding everyone to protest peacefully.
Copyright 2015 WOIO. All rights reserved.
I hope the cameras are in place but still, you Yankees don’t know how to riot worth a dam.
What difference does it make now? They will either be rioting to “celebrate” or to show displeasure at the verdict. Not much difference than when a sports team wins or loses.
(from the near-suburbs) The tension is heightened awareness. The cinema mayham a few months ago was successfully diffused by several local PDs. There were reporters who tried to gin it up by finding parents upset that their little darlin's were dispersed, and that's upsetting. After that, some inner city folk caused some mayhem and injury at a Parma ChuckECheese and an Independence Denny's. We wonder if people who just want to destroy things will try to start a situation they can rally around.
Everyone was more than a little upset that the Police Chief let the Ferguson-inspired protests disrupt things last year. I think the city is ready for anticipated flashpoints. What they have to watch out for are things that don't happen on schedule.
I hope Cleveland gets through it without chaos. We're not like Baltimore and Ferguson, where folks were naïve enough or stupid enough to think the chaos would ebb on its own.
If the cop is not guilty, how is it “justice” to convict him anyways?
Free liquor and TV’s coming soon to a town near you.
Too late. The community organizers, race pimps, vultures, looters, etc. are already in place and planning the riots way ahead of these folks. Sad.
That is partly my concern. Parma and Independence are not Cleveland, in fact they don’t have anything to do with Cleveland Police or the Mayor etc., but the mayhem could easily spread like wildfire in these highly diversified suburbs.
Hopefully Kasich is ready to back up the locals in those smaller suburbs with the state police, and the Ohio National Guard if necessary.
Anybody remember the Hough Riots?
National Guard called in for that one.
At that time, we lived in the thick of it all.
I could look out the window and could see a jeep full of soldiers with weapons just feet from the house.
On top of the bus stop, were two more soldiers with what looked to my child eyes,a weapon similar to a machine gun.
God,how I wanted out of that neighborhood.
I do. I was in Navy Boot Camp up at Great Lakes Naval Training Center.
I remember picking up a newspaper, and there on the front page was my brother-in-law-to-be in his National Guard jeep, down in the ghetto.
That was the first I heard of the riots.
Media: “Oh are you planning to burn down something? Wait- let me get set up for a good shot”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.