South Peoria church leaders decry 'spirit of violence' after elder's shooting
10/16/2016
PEORIA - South Peoria church leaders want to come together to "eliminate the spirit of violence" that led to an elder being shot in a church parking lot during a botched carjacking.
"Evil flourishes when good folk do nothing," said Bishop Embra Patterson of the Kingdom Temple Church of God in Christ to about 30 people who gathered Monday at his church, 911 W. Smith St., to try to come up with "action plans" to combat and to eliminate the "spirit of violence in community."
The meeting brought church leaders, state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, 1st District City Councilwoman Denise Moore and former Police Chief John Stenson together to come up with ideas to improve security and to reach those who actively involved in crime.
"There are demonic forces at work," he said. "Our job is to cast the devil out."
To that end, the goal was not to bemoan the current state of affairs but to figure out what to do about it. Among the ideas were to improve lighting around churches, to have "security" teams escort people out of the building if need be, to install surveillance cameras and, above all, prayer.
"The worst thing that we could have is a poorly lighted environment that harbors criminals," Patterson said. "We should also eliminate blind spots. If there is a dwelling, a tree or whatever or something that causes someone to harbor and linger, then we need to address that and light it up."
Much was said about the recent release of a 24/7 Wall St. study that named the Peoria metropolitan area the worst in the nation for blacks. The combination of economic pressures, lack of hope and a lack of involvement with the church seemed to create an atmosphere ripe for violence, the group seemed to think.
Moore announced she had asked Mayor Jim Ardis to convene a task force that would look at ways to improve conditions not just for blacks but for everyone in the community.
"Enough with the talk. We are going to put together a list of actionable items," she said.
The meeting was hastily called less than a day after a 64-year-old man was shot three times in the leg after leaving Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, 228 S. Webster St. The victim attended services there Sunday honoring Holy Temple Pastor Eddie Bell and his wife, Carol, and was near his truck in the parking lot when three people approached and demanded his keys. Before he could react, shots rang out. The assailants ran away, and the victim was taken back into the building.
Greg Brooks said his father, Leartic Brooks, was recovering from the gunshot wounds. The wounds were "through and through," meaning they didn't strike any bone, arteries or tendons, he said. He expected his father to be released from the hospital soon.
"My father is a man of faith, integrity and conviction," he said. "He's the type of man who wants to be on the front line and to be there. That's why I am here. He would have wanted to be here."
Source: www.pjstar.com
"Evil flourishes when good folk do nothing," said Bishop Embra Patterson of the Kingdom Temple Church of God in Christ to about 30 people who gathered Monday at his church, 911 W. Smith St., to try to come up with "action plans" to combat and to eliminate the "spirit of violence in community."
The meeting brought church leaders, state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, 1st District City Councilwoman Denise Moore and former Police Chief John Stenson together to come up with ideas to improve security and to reach those who actively involved in crime.
"There are demonic forces at work," he said. "Our job is to cast the devil out."
To that end, the goal was not to bemoan the current state of affairs but to figure out what to do about it. Among the ideas were to improve lighting around churches, to have "security" teams escort people out of the building if need be, to install surveillance cameras and, above all, prayer.
"The worst thing that we could have is a poorly lighted environment that harbors criminals," Patterson said. "We should also eliminate blind spots. If there is a dwelling, a tree or whatever or something that causes someone to harbor and linger, then we need to address that and light it up."
Much was said about the recent release of a 24/7 Wall St. study that named the Peoria metropolitan area the worst in the nation for blacks. The combination of economic pressures, lack of hope and a lack of involvement with the church seemed to create an atmosphere ripe for violence, the group seemed to think.
Moore announced she had asked Mayor Jim Ardis to convene a task force that would look at ways to improve conditions not just for blacks but for everyone in the community.
"Enough with the talk. We are going to put together a list of actionable items," she said.
The meeting was hastily called less than a day after a 64-year-old man was shot three times in the leg after leaving Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, 228 S. Webster St. The victim attended services there Sunday honoring Holy Temple Pastor Eddie Bell and his wife, Carol, and was near his truck in the parking lot when three people approached and demanded his keys. Before he could react, shots rang out. The assailants ran away, and the victim was taken back into the building.
Greg Brooks said his father, Leartic Brooks, was recovering from the gunshot wounds. The wounds were "through and through," meaning they didn't strike any bone, arteries or tendons, he said. He expected his father to be released from the hospital soon.
"My father is a man of faith, integrity and conviction," he said. "He's the type of man who wants to be on the front line and to be there. That's why I am here. He would have wanted to be here."
Source: www.pjstar.com
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