The Lima Area Black Ministerial Alliance was recently made aware of a video from a physical altercation that took place at the Waffle House, 1220 Neubrecht Road, on Tuesday, Dec. 26th.
From the video, it appears that an altercation occurred among a group of females. A female bystander attempted to break up the alteration and was then violently assaulted by a male wearing a red and black jacket.
We find this incident to be unacceptable and strongly condemn the actions of this group of young people and especially the actions of the young man against the young woman.
We are deeply concerned with violence of any sort, particularly among our youth. We are also concerned with violence against women, particularly at the hands of a young man. Again, all of these behaviors are unacceptable. This video and other recent incidents that have occurred in our community show that it is time that the community gets real about dealing with issues of violence among our youth.
As pastors, while we condemn the actions of these young people, we still love them. We also recognize that this is a teachable moment for us all.
Young people need to be reminded that explosive moments like this oftentimes can change young lives for the worse. Older adults need to be reminded that our young people still need guidance. The community needs to be reminded that we must invest in our youth and strengthen our village.
As a local community, we must take bold action and identify new ways to engage in efforts to create safer communities and develop a comprehensive approach to curb youth violence. We have to understand that troubled youth grow up to be troubled young adults.
The time is now. Lima, we must engage in spiritual, social and political action to address these types of issues going forward.
Dr. Dennis Ward
Lima
Dennis Ward is president of the Lima Area Black Ministerial Alliance.
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