Making peace: Metro-area initiatives focus on curbing gun violence, bridging cultural divide

Months before a recent spate of mass shootings and gun violence across the country, Oklahoma City community leaders began to envision ways to bring peace to local neighborhoods.

The deadly mass shootings in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; and Tulsa seemed to bring even more focus on the need to curtail gun violence ripping apart families and communities.

Two peace initiatives — Oklahoma City Peace Summit/LIVEFREE Oklahoma City and Peace Walk OKC — have been launched locally. Peace Summit aims to help stem the tide of gun violence while Peace Walk hopes to foster relationships between people of different races and backgrounds, overcoming the cultural barriers that often keep individuals apart.

Peace Summit/LIVEFREE OKC

Oklahoma City Councilwoman Nikki Nice and rapper and activist Jabee Williams, in partnership with the Rev. Jon Middendorf and Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene, kicked off a peace initiative in May with an Oklahoma City Peace Summit.

Nice said the initiative's next activity will involve participation in the anti-gun violence rally set for 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Capitol. The March For Our Lives Rally is being held in conjunction with similar events planned across the nation through the March For Our Lives movement.

"I know for our community, especially northeast Oklahoma City, we want to make sure that we're keeping each other safe and working together to be better for our community," said Nice, who represents Oklahoma City's Ward 7.

"I know we can be the solution for our communities if we work together."

Nice said the initiative's focus is preventing violence during the summer months, a time when interpersonal encounters typically increase. 

Williams said the goal of the initiative activities will be preventing violence through community events such as Juneteenth on the East, and the organization of neighborhood sports activities that bring people of all ages together for fun.

The peace summit group is working with LIVEFREE USA and the nonprofit's executive director, the Rev. Mike McBride. McBride spoke at the initiative's inaugural gathering at OKC First Church of the Nazarene to share information about what his organization has done in other cities across the nation.

In an interview, McBride said he and his organization were asked to visit Oklahoma City by the Rev. Cece Jones-Davis, during her faith-based coalition's push to gain clemency for then-death row inmate Julius Jones.

McBride, a minister based in Oakland, California, said Jones-Davis and several Oklahoma City community leaders wanted LIVEFREE USA to bring its expertise to Oklahoma City, as it has to other cities like Camden, New Jersey; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Flint/Detroit, Michigan; Oakland and Sacramento, California. And in April 2022, several Oklahoma City community leaders and activists attended a LIVEFREE boot camp in New York City to get a feel for the organization's model.

McBride said LIVEFREE USA was launched in 2010 in Oakland to address gun violence, mass incarceration and voter suppression.

He said it was founded as a "sacred-seculars partnership," which incorporates both the "pulpit and pavement" and "streets and sanctuary." It is currently an independent network of organizations, organizers and congregations.

He said the LIVEFREE model works best in places that see gun violence as a public health crisis.

The minister said he envisions the Oklahoma City initiative to incorporate over the next six to eight weeks many of the LIVEFREE activities held in other cities such as barbecues, night walks, day walks, youth events, health screenings and barber and beauty shop events designed to bring neighborhood residents together for opportunities to build community and unite around a city-wide peace initiative.

He said he also hopes the initiative will identify and work with between 20 and 25 families who are at the highest risk of being caught in cycles of violence — "retaliatory or otherwise, and make sure they have the support they need."

The minister said an important component to the LIVEFREE model is the involvement of local police. Several local police officers attended the inaugural Oklahoma City Peace Summit held in May.

McBride said that's par for the course because there can't be an effective conversation about public safety with the involvement of law enforcement.

"Any public safety conversation that a city has that does not actively engage the mayor's office, the law enforcement, probation community, it's not a real public safety conversation," he said. "Any public safety conversation that does not involve the community, including those individuals who are at the highest risk of shooting or being shot — that's not a real public safety conversation. So LIVEFREE prioritizes bringing all of those conversation partners into a visioning process to ensure that everyone understands the unique role they play, but also the unique role that others play. The silver bullet is collaboration."

'It takes you a little bit out of the comfort zone'

Jesus Ortega and his wife left their church in the south metro area on a recent Sunday and headed for Martin Luther King Elementary School in northeast Oklahoma City.

The Purcell couple said they missed the first walk in south Oklahoma City, and they didn't want to miss another one.

"I've never been in this part of the city — it's all new," Ortega said. "It takes you a little bit out of the comfort zone and we're not used to walking this much, but we're meeting new people and I'm enjoying it."

The Ortegas were among hundreds of people who have embraced Stronger Together's vision to bring peace and unity to the community, one step at a time. The June 5 Peace Walk through a neighborhood on the city's predominantly African American east side drew Oklahomans of different ages, races, backgrounds and faith affiliations.

Founded by the Rev. Clarence Hill, Stronger Together is coordinating Peace Walks in different parts of the metro area.

Hill, senior pastor of Antioch Community Church in Norman, said he and the Rev. John-Mark Hart, pastor of Christ Community Church, designed the walks to bring people from different parts of Oklahoma City and the surrounding metro area together for prayer and opportunities to get to know other people in the community, all while trekking through city streets.

Hill said the walks come at an opportune time.

"We've seen enough of the violence that's going on in our land in the last three weeks, over 20 mass shootings," he said. "We'd rather go after the root and that is a breakdown in relationships, that's us learning about one another through conflicting news stories, national news driving division. We want to make opportunity for people to learn about other communities." 

The most recent peace walk was led by the Rev. Derrick Scobey, Ebenezer Baptist Church's senior pastor, and featured a civil rights theme celebrating the contributions of the African American community.

The group sang "Amazing Grace" and other Christian songs, stopping along the way to pray together and hear from people like Caylee Dodson, RestoreOKC executive director. Others who addressed the crowd included Terry Fife, Greg Jones and the Rev. John A. Reed, longtime pastor of Fairview Baptist Church.

Local civil rights activists Marilyn Luper Hildreth and Joyce Henderson each spoke about the importance of unity in bringing about positive change for the community. Hildreth, daughter of the late civil rights icon Clara Luper, was among the first African American youths to take part in the NAACP Youth Council's sit-ins to integrate Oklahoma City restaurants and establishments, beginning in August 1958.

Henderson, a longtime school educator and administrator, also participated in the Oklahoma City sit-ins.

One of the highlights of the event occurred when Henderson led the walkers in singing several songs she once led for NAACP Youth Council members during the sit-in movement. The group stood together and linked hands in Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the walk ended.     

They sang several songs including "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around"  and "We Shall Not Be Moved," but many were brought to tears as Henderson, Hildreth and fellow sit-inner Joyce Jackson led them in a rendition of "We Shall Overcome," a song most often associated with the Rev. Martin Luther King-led civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. 

Afterward, participants talked together, munching on pizza that the walk's organizers purchased from northeast Oklahoma City eatery Eastside Pizza House, and snow cones.  

James Salisbury said he and his wife, Robyn, brought their two children to the walk. The couple, who attend Britton Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), decided to participate after Robyn Salisbury heard about the event.

"We've definitely seen lots of need for community, especially in recent years and we want to be a part of peace," James Salisbury said. "We thought it would be a great opportunity to pray for our community, our schools and our first responders. God's people are called to be peacemakers."

Meanwhile, the walk drew several metro area leaders including Councilwoman Nice and activist Williams who are leading the Peace Summit initiative. Others included former congressman J.C. Watts, who led a prayer for law enforcement outside the Oklahoma City Police Department Springlake Division; Garland Pruitt, Oklahoma City NAACP president; Gene Rainbolt, philanthropist and BancFirst president emeritus; Mart Green, Mardel founder and chief executive officer; Brent Vawter, Connecting Business Men to Christ-Oklahoma City (CBMC) senior area director; Wes Lane, Salt and Light Leadership Training founder; and District 3 Oklahoma County Commissioner  Kevin Calvey.  

Hill said the five remaining walks that are planned through November include a trek through northwest Oklahoma City, including the Asian District; a walk in Norman; and a walk highlighting Native Americans.

Peace Summit/LIVEFREE OKC

Peace Summit participants will participate in a March Against Gun Violence Rally from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the state Capitol, 2300 N Lincoln Blvd.  

Peace Walk

The next Peace Walk is set for 4 to 6 p.m. July 3 in northwest Oklahoma City. Details about the walk's starting location will be posted soon under the "Events" link at https://www.strongertogether.global/. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC residents, leaders work toward peace with several initiatives