OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.–Days after a deadly OKC shooting that gained national news, local volunteers and grassroots organizers will go door-to-door providing residents with information on community services Wednesday, Oct. 16, in northeast Oklahoma City.
Instead of selling a product or political candidate, OKC’s Foundation for Liberating Minds (FLM) will seek to build community bonds as they share valuable resources with local residents. It marks the organization’s third “Community Walk.”
It begins at 1120 NE 22nd St., Oklahoma City, OK, from 5 to 8 p.m.
“It really started with the ‘We, the Eastside‘ campaign that we had,” Tevin McDaniel, FLM Co-Founder and Community Building Coordinator, told the Black Wall Street Times.
He said his colleagues initiated the Community Walks after realizing that working with other organizations to provide resources wasn’t enough.
“We realized that we weren’t reaching a lot of the folks who really needed those resources. Some folks don’t have cars, aren’t able to go to see the flyers.”
So, a colleague came up with an idea to bring the resources straight to the community. “We’re just trying to build a relationship,” McDaniel said.
The walks build on a similar program launched a few years ago in Tulsa, spearheaded by the Terence Crutcher Foundation.
Mayor responds to OKC shooting
Wednesday’s walk comes days after a shooting in southeast OKC at a party that resulted in the death of at least 1 person and at least 14 injuries.
“It appears there were multiple shooters and different guns used,” Capt. Valerie Littlejohn with the Oklahoma City Police Department said, KOCO reported. Gerardo Sandoval, just 18, was pronounced dead by police after the Saturday shooting.
In a statement following the OKC shooting that has since gone viral, moderate Republican OKC Mayor David Holt said police alone can’t address an issue of young men making bad decisions.
“Law enforcement absolutely plays a role in these events, and we must continue to fund and support law enforcement. Having said that, we have to recognize that there is more to it,” Mayor Holt said. “Boys whose brains are literally still forming don’t always respond rationally to the things that would deter you and I.”
Arguing for more investments in community programs, Mayor Holt stressed the importance of meeting and reaching residents where they are.
“In Oklahoma City, the most direct and near-term impact we can make–by far–is through investments in our youth.”
To learn more about Foundation for Liberating Minds’ community initiatives, visit their website.
Related Stories
- Preventing Crime Requires Funding More Community Programs
- Oklahoma State Fair shooting: teenager arrested
- Oklahoma Democrats propose SAVE Act to stop gun violence
- Sit-in activist helped desegregate OKC, writes “Gwen Didn’t Care”
Comments are closed.