Pledge of Peace: City asks residents to stand for nonviolence

The Office of Community Safety is launching a new initiative that they hope will show that Greensboro residents will not tolerate the uptick in violence throughout their communities.

The city’s Peace on Purpose pledge hopes to collect 10,000 signed pledge cards by Saturday, September 23, asking residents to remain “on purpose” in the pursuit to reduce violence.

“Our goal is to reduce violence in all areas but to also gain the trust of citizens who have become desensitized to violence,” said Arthur Durham, Violence Prevention Coordinator for the Office of Community Safety, led by Latisha McNeil.

Councilmember Hugh Holston said the pledge is important because “it stresses each resident’s role and responsibility to address and mitigate violence. It is time for each of us to stop waiting for someone else to solve our problem with violence. Most of us have heard the pre-flight speech on the airplane, ‘ Put your oxygen mask on first, before you help others. ’ The signing of this pledge is similar to putting on your own oxygen mask. Now help others do the same.”

Holston said that the current homicide rate in the city is enough reason to give the program a chance.

“To date, the Greensboro community has experienced 41 homicides; trending much higher than all of 2022; that is unacceptable and it’s destroying lives and legacies,” he said. “We must take action to identify the core issues and then address them. The pledge is just a start.”

The initiative kicked off on June 2 at Barber Park with city officials on hand to talk about violence prevention. According to the form, the Peace on Purpose objective is “to remain “on purpose” in our pursuit to reduce violence. The city will do this through community collaborations and strategically implementing researched models that work.”

Durham said that they hope the pledge incites “curiosity” and leads to conversation.

“That provides the opportunity the lay out the groundwork for the Office of Community Safety’s plan for reducing crime through our three programs — BHRT, LEAD, and Violence Prevention,” Durham said. “Once we get to talk with residents we can gain support, and people can see that the city is taking a proactive step in battling crime.”

The Peace on Purpose pledge reads as follows:

I Pledge To:

• Make GSO Peace on Purpose a part of my everyday life by leading with a peaceful mindset.

• Settle my disputes in a nonviolent way whenever possible.

• Stand with courage, lead with conviction, and speak out to promote nonviolence as the norm.

• Be outraged at acts of unnecessary violence wherever they happen throughout the city.

• Take personal responsibility and have awareness for my actions and how they impact others.

• Take action to end all forms of violence with love, compassion and without judgment.

To complete and submit a pledge card, residents are asked to fill out an online form, and post the designed declaration image to their social media or put them up in their workplaces or homes.

According to Durham, the response to the program has been well received.

“The pledge has been received better than we intended. We have many businesses, city leaders, faith-based organizations, and residents who’ve signed it, and shared it on multiple social media sites, on podcasts, at basketball tournaments, etc,” said Durham. “We have made the mark that was intended and we will continue to spread the pledge message of “Peace On Purpose.”

Just like with most initiatives, Durham said that there have been “some cynics questioning the relevance” of the pledge but otherwise the office has received positive feedback.

“I don’t focus on that though, the vast majority of citizens understand the importance of us trying to set a precedence of positivity and want much more,” he said. “We are in the developmental stage of planning and partnering with concerned citizens, and organizations dedicated to reducing crime.”

Holston said that reception and feedback from the community has been great.

“Just this past weekend at the Peeler Center, Arthur Durham and the team was actively engaged with the neighbors and community with success; and they love to show off their pledge buttons,” he said. “The feedback from the community has been incredible. We have over 2,500 signed pledges towards a goal of 10,000, and we’re just getting started! It shows that our residents care about peace, safety, and eliminating violence. !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

WANNA know?

For more information about the Peace on Purpose pledge and other e orts to decrease violence, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/ViolencePrevention.

The Fresh Market is seeking a Pricing Analyst II at its Greensboro, NC location to function as a collaborative partner with Merchandising and Marketing to analyze and execute strategies that will deliver on financial results and ensure competitive advantage. Edu: BS degree & 3 yrs exp. Foreign degree equiv acc. Exp can be gained concurrently. Emp will accept any suit combo of edu, exp, or train.

To see full list of req & apply, visit: https://jobs.thefreshmarket.com/ and search by job title and location.