Oklahomans take to the streets for peace, unity and second chances

Some people walked in solidarity with formerly incarcerated men and women seeking second chances.

Others walked together in the name of unity and peace.

Prison Fellowship's Second Chance Prayer Walk and Stronger Together OKC's Peace Walk were held on different days and drew different crowds, but they had something in common.

Both events served as literal symbols of the power of walking in tandem with one's neighbors.

The walks also symbolized the power of prayer and solidarity.

"Today is about prayer but also about public witness," the Rev. John-Mark Hart told an enthusiastic crowd at the Peace Walk on May 1 in south Oklahoma City.

Seeking second chances

Ashley Hale prayed as she walked through the streets of downtown Oklahoma City.

Hale said she was 19 when she was incarcerated on a drug-related offense and she spent three and a half years in prison. Released in 2010, she said she knows firsthand the many hurdles the formerly incarcerated face when they re-enter society.

"I was challenged because I am a felon," Hale said. "I had to retake my driver's test to get a driver's license. I had to rely on people for rides just to get a job to pay my bills. There's just such a stigma on people who have made some bad decisions but that's not who we are — that's not who we have to be."

That personal knowledge of such barriers motivated her to participate in Prison Fellowship's Second Chance Walk on April 30. She was among a crowd of about 150 people who walked from Kerr Park, 102 Robert S. Kerr, to the Oklahoma County jail, singing and praying along the way.

Leaders with Prison Fellowship said their national prison outreach organization and more than 650 churches, businesses and other groups participated in Second Chance walks during the month of April, designated as Second Chances Month.

Teresa Stanfield, a former offender who currently works for Prison Fellowship-Oklahoma, said she was excited to see so many people participate in the walk. She said the event was a way to bring people together to pray for and raise awareness about millions of Americans and their families whose lives are impacted because of incarceration. Stanfield, along with many others, said she hoped that people incarcerated in the jail, 201 N Shartel, could hear the words of encouragement, music and prayer that was part of the walk finale at the detention center.

As the walkers made the trek toward the jail, they stopped at several points to pray and to hear former offenders share their personal testimonies. Two of them were Aaron Cosar and Jeryka Castelli.

Cosar said one of the obstacles he faced upon his release 12 years ago was learning how to be a good husband to his wife, who had stood by his side. Cosar said he was incarcerated for 25 years and found that life after imprisonment was difficult. He said prison ministry volunteers and other friends helped connect him to the counseling he needed.

Castelli, who was connected to Stand in the Gap ministry, said she had a longtime drug addiction that ultimately led to her incarceration. She said after her release eight years ago, she had to get help opening a bank account and obtaining a driver's license.

"One by one, those barriers were removed by all the people in my life," Castelli said. She said she now has a husband, a child and a job at a local hospital.

Hale said she, too, has built a successful life after incarceration. She said she has earned two associate degrees and has a job she loves. She's also working with Prison Fellowship to help other former offenders upon their release from prison.

Walking for peace

Hart, senior pastor of Christ Community Church, and the Rev. Clarence Hill, founder of the Stronger Together movement, said the recent Peace Walk was the first of several Peace Walks that would be conducted across Oklahoma City through November.

The inaugural walk was held on the city's southside to give participants an opportunity to hear from ministers and other residents from the Hispanic community as they talked about the needs and dreams of people living in their part of the city.

Participants included prominent ministers, business and community leaders from different part of the metro area, as well as people from a diverse group of congregations. The event began at 101 SW 25 and participants walked south toward Scissortail Park and the Myriad Gardens. Participants were given booklets with prayers to offer up during the walk

Before the trek began, Hart, Hill and other local ministers spoke to the crowd. Gloria Torres, executive director of Calla Dos Cinco in the Capitol Hill District, also talked to participants.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," she said.

Two men who grew up in south Oklahoma City spoke about their personal journeys. They identified themselves as "Dreamers," a term used to describe people who successfully applied for the temporary provisions and protections of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The next walk, to be led by the Rev. Derrick Scobey, will be 4 to 6 p.m. on June 5 in northeast Oklahoma City. Scobey,

For more information about the Peace Walk series, go to the "Events" link at https://www.strongertogether.global/.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Walks for peace, the formerly incarcerated take place in Oklahoma City