Standing in the recently renovated St. Anna’s Park Monday morning, interim Columbia Police Chief Ruben Santiago, Mayor Steve Benjamin, members of the Lyon Street community and faith-based leaders made verbal commitments to join together to fight gangs through proactive programs in the community.
"Gang violence will not be tolerated in this city," Benjamin said. "This city has had enough."
Both Benjamin and Santiago mentioned recent acts if violence police say involved known gang members including the shooting death of a 24-year-old woman on McDuffie Street, just a couple of blocks away from the park.
D'Andra Monet Pelzer, a 2008 Spring Valley High School graduate and mother of two, was shot and killed in the 1300 block of McDuffie Street on July 20.
Police say the two suspects in the Pelzer case — Nickolas Ryheem Richardson and Jessica Faye Edmonds — are members of a gang.
Richardson allegedly fired shots toward a group of people when Pelzer was shot. Police say Pelzer was not the intended target.
City police, community members, faith-base organizations and nonprofit groups say they're taking a stand against the violence and will work together to help prevent young people from turning to gangs.
Longtime resident of the Lyon Street neighborhood, Beatrice Myers has faith that the group will make an impact in the community she has called home for the last 70 years.
"It seems like they’re on one accord and we’re going to get something done over here," Myers said. "We know it doesn’t have to be (this way)."
"We have to get behind our young people. They need encouragement."
Myers said she's dedicated to making a difference in the lives of young boys and girls in her community despite stray bullets flying through her home during a shooting in the area.
"I love my community and I’m not going anywhere," she said.
Rev. Anthony Dicks of Friendship Baptist Church said his church will host three nonprofit programs which he called "three peas in a pod" to support the group's efforts.Those nonprofits include: Positive Expressions, a program using the arts to engage youth; Prosperity Project, which offers a tutoring program; and Proverbs 226, an organization that works with children of incarcerated fathers.
Not only will the community see more officers in their neighborhoods, Santiago said his office has planned several gang prevention forums in an effort to educate the community about the gangs and gang prevention efforts.
"We will prevail when it comes to gangs," he said.
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