Photo Gallery: Palm Sunday 2013 - "I Will Be a Remedy for Violence!"

Photos from the Remedy for Violence event on Palm Sunday (March 24), 2013!

"H O S A N N A !"
Pastor Bruce Ray of Kimball Avenue Church welcomes
participants to the gathering.

"I will be a remedy for violence!"
Pastor Bruce, Pastor Erik Christensen of St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square,
and St. Luke's members Jessica Schimpff, Will Storm (seminarian), and Noel Spain.

Lori Crowder, Executive Director of the Alliance of Local
Service Organizations (ALSO), with Jennifer De Leon.

"Tu vida es mi vida!"
Members of Humboldt Park United Methodist and their signs.

Master of Ceremonies Andy Willis (r), a member of Kimball Avenue Church,
introduces Pastor Ramon Nieves, of Humboldt Park United Methodist Church
(on his right). A member of the ALSO/Ceasefire team holds up Andy's original
poster art for the event, together with a Ceasefire "STOP. Killing. People." poster.
To Pastor Ramon's right is Jennifer Leon from Lutheran Social Services, who
assisted with English-Spanish translation throughout the event.

Participants signed a banner reading "I will be a remedy for violence" and
"Yo sere un remedio a la violencia!" The banner will be carried by
community members in ALSO's June 8 Walk for Justice.

Pastor Ramon Nieves provides an interview for the Univision coverage of the event.

The Remedy for Violence team gratefully acknowledges "FJJ" for supplying the images in this photo gallery!

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YOU are a Remedy for Violence!

by Lori Crowder
Executive Director
Alliance of Local Service Organizations (ALSO)

Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday’s peace rally at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, hosted by the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance and the Alliance of Local Service Organizations.

You were among approximately 75 people from Logan Square and Humboldt Park who committed to becoming a Remedy for Violence! And you helped bring the message to a wide audience through coverage by Univision, the Chicago Tribune, and others!

Banner signed by participants in Sunday's event
(Design: Andy Willis)

Among the many good ideas shared at the rally, here are 10 ways you can become a remedy for violence:

1. Avoid using phrases like “those people” in favor of inserting the name of someone you love or care about with the experience you are describing.
2. Become a mentor to a young person.
3. Hire a young person in your local business.
4. Prevent young people from dropping out of school through individual and collective action.
5. Support youth leadership.
6. Prevent the “school to military pipeline” by advocating against community schools becoming military academies.
7. Help people with criminal records successfully transition back to society.
8. Join the social justice action groups at local churches for further discussion of the root causes of violence - St. Luke’s Lutheran Church (militarism), Kimball Avenue Church (mass incarceration), First Lutheran Church of Logan Square (poverty and homelessness), and Humboldt Park United Methodist Church (deportation).
9. Contact your state legislator to ensure future funding for CeaseFire.
10. Attend a “Your Life is My Life: Ending Violence Starts With Me” training to learn how to become an active bystander to prevent and safely intervene in violence.

On Saturday, June 8th, we will host ALSO’s 18th Annual Walk for Peace and will welcome you to share your stories about addressing violence in your streets, homes and schools.

Save the date, and stay tuned for a formal invitation!

A Remedy for Violence

*** NOTE: Due to cold/inclement weather, event will be held at St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square, 2649 N Francisco. Sunday parking available on Francisco, Schubert and Logan Boulevard. ***

Original poster art: Andrew Willis

"The effect of justice will be peace" (Isaiah 32:17)

Everyone in Chicago is concerned about violence in our city. Everyone wants the destruction, death, and pain to stop. We have the choice of trying to change the conditions under which people are suffering or ignoring those conditions and watching the situation in the city get worse.

On Palm Sunday, March 24th at 12:00 pm, people who long for peace and justice in our city will gather at St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square to begin to talk about what real change would look like. This will be a joyous and hopeful event as we aim to eliminate all violence in our community in 10 years! Zero in Ten.

Here are some ideas we will discuss – We think you will find them pretty amazing, but this is not science fiction – It is possible right now!

1. We will talk about replacing mass incarceration (particularly of young people) with mass justice where the young are nurtured and have a future full of hope and possibility.
2. We will address poverty, homelessness, and hunger as forms of violence that destabilize community and could be corrected immediately.
3. We will discuss how the violence of separating families through deportations contributes to fear and insecurity. We will welcome all with or without documentation.
4. We will identify policies and practices that are used as weapons against our youth, and call for expansion of educational and employment opportunities that would reconnect youth to their community.
5. We will discuss replacing the violence of militarism with a community of peacemaking that will not channel our children into the service because they are poor. We will speak of using budgets at every level of government to ensure fairness and equality – two of the cornerstones of peace.

In the words of John Lennon:

“you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one”

Join your neighbors and friends at the St. Luke's Lutheran Church Logan Square (2649 N Francisco) on Palm Sunday, March 24, at 12:00 noon.

Join the event on Facebook and invite friends!

Sponsored by:

LSEA (Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance) and

 ALSO (Alliance of Local Service Organizations)

For more information: www.remedyforviolence.blogspot.com