A group in Florence organized a rally called ‘Stop the Violence’ to bring the community together and help young kids make the right decisions.
“We have to be in charge of rebuilding our community. We have to bring hope to our community. We can’t hope for anyone else to do it. We can’t wish for anyone else to do it, we have to step up and do it ourselves,” said organizer LaShonda Nesmith-Jackson.
Stricklands boxing opened their doors for young boys to take their anger out inside the ring, instead of the streets.
Harvest Hope joined the rally and encouraged people to live a healthy lifestyles.
Organizers also brought in motivational speakers to share their personal experiences. One man said his poor choices is now helping others.
“Any community that’s impacted by gun violence I want to be a part of it, because I was one of those individuals who was the problem to the community. Now I want to be a representative that’s a solution to our community,” said speaker Lester Young.
Organizers hope this event brings unity to the community.
“Really this isn’t an event. This is a movement to really stop really stop the violence,” said Nesmith-Jackson.
Organizers plan to continue a ‘Stop the Violence’ rally in other counties.
