Linden community unites to fight violence, spread positivity
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- It’s Welcome to Linden Week and community groups as well as the Linden-McKinley marching band came together Monday to spread positivity.
From now until Saturday, there will be different community events taking place to help welcome the children back to school. Monday’s event was called the End Gun Violence Unity parade, a parade designed to bring the community together and put a stop to gun violence.
“One life loss is one life too many,” We Are Linden founder and CEO Ralph Carter said. “The youth need to know that the community supports them, and the families need to know that the community supports them, and we need to support one another and lean on one another, that’s the only way that we can unify and combat against this violence.”
A gun violence prevention advocacy group, Moms Demand Action, was a part of the parade, voicing their concerns for gun violence not just in Ohio, but around the world.
“Gun violence is the leading killer of children in this country, and in Ohio and it’s only increasing,” Moms Demand Action volunteer Ann Shroyer said. “That statistic alone, that should motivate everyone to want to stop gun violence. It is killing our children more than any disease, car accidents, anything. That’s what motivates a lot of us to come out here for our children, grandchildren, our neighbors, kids, all of that.”
The Linden-McKinley marching band and other community members marched from Maloney Park to Linden-McKinley STEM Academy, where they got to enjoy ice cream once the parade ended.
The band is also working towards taking a field trip to Tennessee where it will perform in the Southern Heritage Classic. The band director, Stephen Ingram, wants to make it a cultural and educational experience for the kids. Ingram’s goal for Monday’s parade was to get everyone in a positive mindset as students prepare to head back to school.
“We want to expose the community to the positive things that are happening, and the band is a big part of that,” Ingram said. “We want to make sure we start the school year off on a positive note, on a great note by bringing the communities back into our schools.”
Welcome to Linden events continue throughout the week, ending Saturday with the 8th annual block party that takes place at St. Stephens Community Center.