Combined efforts will lead to peaceful resolution

Some came because they knew the victims personally. Some came because they are concerned for the state of the nation. Some came to support a community effort. All came to make a stand in the name of stopping the violence in South Cape.

The Stop the Violence prayer march, held the last Saturday in July, commemorated the lives of those in our community who have been killed, most within the last five years. Organized by Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please, or SNAP, the march's route began at Indian Park and ended at Ranney Park. Along the way, marchers stopped at the sites where people -- sons, sisters, friends of those in attendance -- had been killed.

The nation is angry right now, and rightfully so: People of all ethnicities are dying due to acts of violence, and it can be hard to see an end in sight. But rather than react by trying to fight violence with violence (always a losing battle), SNAP is responding peacefully, respectfully.

"This is us, approaching the violence in the city and the nation with a civil mind-set," Scott Johnson, who runs Soulful Harvest Ministries, told the Southeast Missourian. "I think this is what we're going to have to do. This is a concern for everybody, not just a few select."

He is correct. The effects of violence in one block or neighborhood can be felt throughout a community. Nearby neighbors might live in fear of stray bullets penetrating their walls. Employees of local businesses might feel nervous closing up after dark. People living in other areas might be wary of patronizing businesses in such neighborhoods.

Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair and other officers who attended the march were impressed with the effort. "How cool is it that all these people are here? We can come together to make a better place."

This is not an issue that can be stopped through policework alone, nor can it be handled solely by private citizens. We are lucky to have such a respectful discourse and cooperative atmosphere between officers and citizens here in Cape Girardeau. It is through these combined efforts that we will make headway and, hopefully, stop the flow of violent crime at its source.