Stopping the Violence

On Saturday, June 22, thousands joined The Way World Outreach in celebration of the church’s fifth annual Stop the Violence Campaign. What started five years ago as a door-to-door initiative to gain the trust of community members has evolved into a full-blown community gathering. The street was packed with people from all walks of life moving, talking, laughing, hugging, crying, and coming together as a community. “Here they can just relax, and have fun and have a great time,” said Associate Pastor Robert Cuencas about the spirit of the event. To add to the joy of being at ease, the event offered various services to its attendees. An array of booths lined both sides of the street, each serving something different but all with the same purpose: helping those in the community. One booth was giving away clothes, while another was giving away groceries. Hot dogs and drinks were being served to all those in attendance as well as snow cones and cotton candy. KSGN provided music and together with their partner, A Foundation for Kids, they were able to supply toys and books for the event’s youngest attendees. None left empty-handed; all left with something they could use in one way or another. Five years ago, however, this event was still just an idea waiting to be put into motion. Pastor Marco Garcia came up with the idea when crime in the community was high and he wanted to do something to change the situation. Because of this grim perspective, Pastor Garcia wanted those in the community to reach out to one another to spread a feeling of safety and to open dialogue in the effort of finding a solution to the violence the people are subjected to within the community. “Stop the Violence campaign is literally just that, and we have a lot we are going to hit in our city. Our young people are dying and really there is no hope and if we don’t do something to bring a different message in there, they stay where they are at,” said Pastor Garcia. As said by Pastor Garcia, “One organization can’t get it all done. It’s a team effort, and when we all do it together we can get a lot done, and that’s the idea.”