DETROIT – During a press conference Saturday, Detroit community leaders launched a new campaign to create a more peaceful city in the summer months.
A press conference was held in front of the Spirit of Detroit.
“I wanted to stand in front of it and show them the real spirit of Detroit, the spirit of Detroit is the people,” said Dujuan Zoe, community organizer.
More than a dozen men and women representing multiple Detroit neighborhoods and organizations spoke.
The hope for a safer Detroit isn’t something speakers just talked about. They are already taking action through different programs.
Alia Harvey-Quinn, executive director of Force Detroit, said they are partnering with Detroit Family and Friends to create community violence intervention sites across the city.
“Where people in the community, especially those who have experienced incarceration, who have experienced violence, who have been perpetrators of violence are leveraging their experiences in the street, to make things whole and make things better,” said Harvey-Quinn.
Anthony Stafford McDonald, deputy chief of staff for councilman Fred Durhal III, also spoke during the press conference.
“Council member Durhal, council pro-tem James Tate, council president Mary Sheffield are united in this collaboration to make sure, just as the world learned how to drive through the city of Detroit, we’re going to teach the world how to have a decrease in gun violence,” McDonald said.
For more information on Force Detroit, visit this site.