Delaware group highlights a week of peace to target crime

A group of community organizations is coming together to promote peace and put an end to senseless violence.

The united group includes the Praying Ground Community Church in Wilmington, which sits in one of the city’s crime ridden neighborhoods. Pastor Saundra Ben, who leads the church, says the goal is to build safer areas during Peace Week Delaware. A series of events running from September 18-25 will take place to encourage people to take action to against violence peacefully.

“If we don’t change the mindsets of our youth, it doesn’t matter what we do with the events. We are going to have to change their mindsets to see that this is not the way we live,” Pastor Ben said. She started Safe United Neighborhoods group which gives young people positive things to do in the community.

The idea of creating a week of peace started with Delaware’s Movement for a Culture of Peace. That organization has sponsored a number of forums on the issue for the past two years as well as marches to bring attention to the need to stop the violence.

“Peace Week Delaware is the largest state-wide program focused on peace ever organized in Delaware,” said Jeffrey Lott, spokesperson for Peace Week Delaware.

There are more than 30 programs on the roster that will be held across the state. They range from workshops to art exhibitions.

“We believe that attending several Peace Week events will help each Delawarean better understand how we citizens can work together and what each of us can do as individuals to contribute to fundamental social and cultural change,” Lott said.

The events scheduled to take place during Peace Week Delaware can be found online.