Stop the Violence
By Mandy Catoe
October 17, 2020
More than sixty shiny cars followed a hearse through town Saturday afternoon to the Springdale Sports Complex. It looked like any other funeral procession. Oncoming traffic stopped to let them pass. Unbeknownst to them, the casket was empty. This was a parade of hope, not of grief.
Concerned citizens of Lancaster came together at Springdale Recreation Center for the Stop the Violence event to address opiod addiction and guns which have taken a total of 42 lives through September 2020.
Lancaster County Coronor Karla Deese said Lancaster County lost 35 people to overdose and seven to homicide.
Almost 75 people, all wearing face masks, stood in clusters with friends and family on the soccer fields facing a stage, hoping for change.
Rock Hill native Michael Buchanan, sat on the grass during the rally and said “I think this is what the community needs. Hopefully we can stop some of this violence and killing and making the world like it should be. There ain’t but one race and that’s the human race.”
Henrietta Hall, 65, Lancaster resident and master of ceremonies shared her story. Just before introducing each speaker, her story revealed a mother’s pain.
“I’ve been on both sides,” Hall said. “I’ve visited one son in prison and one in the cemetery.”
She pointed to the empty, open casket in front of the stage and said she had to pick one out for her 25 year-old son, who was murdered in 2002.
“That was a a hard thing, a real hard thing,” she said. “That is about the worst thing a mother could ever experience.”
She said her son was kidnapped, beat, tied up, and shot in the back of his head just a half mile from her mother’s house. She said he was selling drugs and a deal went bad.
The Stop the Violence event brought together voices of faith, law enforcement, counseling, and politicians.
Faith
Nearly a dozen churches were represented in the parade and their pastors prayed for help and healing.
One prayer in particular, by Minister Felicia Vinson asked that we stop thinking of addicts as “the worst thing on this side of the grave” and see them as children of God.
Law Enforcement
Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputy, Sergeant Bill Murphy, explained their three-pronged team approach to deal with addiction, conflict and crime.
First, the Comprehensive Opiod Abuse Program (COAP) monitors hotspots of overdoses. A community response team, consisting of law enforcement, a paramedic and a case manager, visits overdose victims and directs them to needed services.
Second, the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) focuses on low-level crimes committed due to drug abuse. At the discretion of the officer, no charges are filed and a referral is made to Lancaster Counseling Services, funded by the Department of Justice, Murphy said.
“When you have an addictions problem, you can’t lock that problem up and expect it to go away,” Murphy said.
Third, Narcan, the opiod overdose reversal drug, is available to all first-responders.
“Every deputy at Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has NARCAN with them,” Murphy said. “Last month we had 30 overdoses. And only one didn’t make it. We were able to revive 29 of those individuals so they got another chance to find the answer they are really looking for.”
Murphy encouraged people to get involved with neighbor hood watch groups, once known as Crime Watch groups.
“I didn’t say crime watch because it is not about crime, but about neighbors watching out for each other,” he said.
For more information on these programs, contact the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, 803–283–3388 or http://www.lacoso.net.
Lancaster Counseling Services
Terri Lee, prevention coordinator, from Lancaster Counseling Services shared information on their services which include individual, group and family counseling; education; crisis intervention; recovery management; and Medication Assisted Treatment for opiod addiction.
“Counseling Services is a little gem in our city that many people don’t know about,” Lee said.
For more information, contact Counseling Services of Lancaster, 803–285–6911 or http://www.counselingserviceslancaster.org.
Politicians
SC House Representative District 44 Mandy Powers Norell has been on the opiod overdose task force since it was formed several years ago and sponsored bills including prescription monitoring and making NARCAN available without a prescription. She has worked to reform domestic violence laws.
“We all have a duty to help and look at the root cause of violence and the root cause of addiction and what it comes down to is a sense of hopelessness,” Norell said. “When we feel hopeless, we don’t value our lives and we don’t value the lives of others.”
Ram Mammadov, candidate for SC Senate District 16, said if elected he would work hard to eliminate online sale of drugs and tighten gun laws.
“Let me be clear,” Mammadov said. “I stand behind the second amendment, but I commit to protect every citizen of South Carolina with sane and rational laws in every piece of legislation that may come before me.”
He said he promotes reasonable regulations of the gun ownership process to prevent the casual sell of weapons to convicted felons, serial spouse abuser or a person with known mental health issues.
“It is time to review and regulate how guns are sold, who gets to buy them and who gets to sell them,” Mammadov said. “We must get away from the chaos of today to a safer tomorrow. Our state troopers, police officers, and sheriff’s deputies all face the problem of a weapon-bearing suspect which sometimes results in unnecessary civilian death.”
Keith Grey, Sr, candidate for SC House District 45, shared his support of safer gun laws, social services, counseling and education.
He said that he and his family were hit hard during the recession a few years ago and needed help in getting back on their feet.
“My family and I had to live in subsidized housing and we had to have food stamps,” Grey said. “We weren’t there long, but we appreciated that safety net and I believe strongly we need to restore that safety net that has been shredded so badly.”
Appeal to citizens
Reverend AnThony Pelham, pastor of Faith, Hope & Victory Church, was the final speaker. He reminded the audience that the work has to be done.
“You see it’s easy to wash the cars, and it’s easy to fire up the motorcycles. It’s easy to ride in a parade through town,” Pelham said. “But are we committed to doing the hard work?”
He thanked the whites, about ten percent of the crowd, for attending.
“Thank you that it matters enough for you to be here with us. To help us make a difference in our community,” he said. “But our lives must matter so much to us black people that we are willing to do the work.”
“But are we committed to doing the hard work?” he asked.
“I am here to ask that question because what is this all about? It must be about black lives mattering to black people. Our lives must matter so much to us that we are willing to get out and do several things.”
He said his community must hold each other accountable, make positive change in the lives of their children and families, rebuild trust with law enforcement and unify. He also encouraged the attendees to keep the faith, do the work and vote for officials who come into their neighborhoods.
Next step
Pamela Stewart, who manages Stewart Funeral Home in Heath Springs, spearheaded the Stop the Violence Event.
“So far this year, we have had six overdose victims under the age of 35,” she said.
Stewart was pleased with the turnout and wants to see more young men involved in their efforts.
“We want to make sure we don’t stop today and that we continue our work in the community and make a difference,” she said.
The next meeting will be at USCL, Sunday, October 25th at 4:00 p.m.
Originally published at http://spilledinkabovethefold.wordpress.com on November 2, 2020.
