Healing the Broken Village

Thelma Sardin |

Since his appointment as pastor of St. Sabina Church in 1981, Father Michael Pfleger has been a vocal community advocate for the resolution of systemic disparities in the Black community.

Currently, crime is one of the most severe issues that plague the City of Chicago. Crusading for communities in peril, Pfleger has tirelessly fought on behalf of disadvantaged groups. Last week, he spoke at the Community Mental Health Councils Annual Meeting.

During Pflegers 25 minute speech, he called stagnant violence in minority communities across the country an, undeclared national emergency.

We are putting our future at risk and dont seem to be concerned about it, said Pfleger. According to the pastor, violence is something that is continuing to be ignored, for many reasons.sometimes its ignored because victims of violence are poor and primarily black and brown, he said.

Pfleger also quoted the African Proverb, It takes a whole village to raise a child. Applying the adage to communities currently under siege with violence, he said, the village is broken and we cannot raise healthy children in a broken village.

Highlighting how crime scenes are becoming normal he added,It is unacceptablethat teddy bears and yellow police tape are becoming new landmarks in our communities across this country.

Pfleger who believes a step in creating a functional community is strengthening ties with the police added, we must repair the broken bridge between law enforcement and civilians.

The pastor also believes more assistance from all levels of government will help close gaps of inequality. We must demand that city, state and federal government unleash the resources needed to build healthy communities and to level the unequal playing field, he said.

The South side pastor has been an outspoken community leader for years. In all of his years of work, he admits hes beginning to see change cultivate. I m seeing more and more people kind of drawing the line and saying enough, this has to stop. Im seeing a frustration level that is now moving to an action level in the neighborhood. Thats where Im seeing the greatest hope, he said.

Recently, Pfleger and a group of citizens asked Chicago mayoral candidates about their platform on crime but only one candidate showed up. He said he reached out to the candidates because, often times in these campaigns, we get into mudslinging, we get into the stump talk and we have very serious issues and one of them to me is absolutely the crime issue.

Some mayoral candidates are beginning to communicate ideas for crime prevention.

At a fundraiser this past weekend, Congressman Danny Davis said if hes elected mayor residents will benefit from, One Chicago, where every man, woman and child can live without fear of violence and crime.

On her website, Carol Moseley Braun cited economic and educational development as the best way to ensure public safety. The mayoral hopeful notes community involvement is the, strategy to help break the code of silence that keeps many of our crimes unsolved.

Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle lists a plan for public safety on his campaign website including enhancing the CAPS program. He said he plans to strengthen relationships among police, trusted community organizations, and residents on all public safety issues by revitalizing community policing and the CAPS program. Investment, training, and traditional community organizing will be key to this initiative, his website states.

Early in December, community organizer, Patricia Van-Pelt Watkins unveiled her crime plan at a news conference. As reported by WBEZ, Watkins says the city should invest more in violence prevention programs. She also feels the Chicago police should fill vacancies and put more cops into community policing. "We know cops are extremely important- more police are extremely importantbut it's wrong for us to just put police officers in the line of fire, and the rest of us just go home. I think that, in order to solve the challenges that we face as a city now, we cant look to the old bag of tricks that have been used in the past."

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