Pine Hills residents speak up, reach out in community forums

Appropriately named, the Pine Hills nonprofit Let Your Voice Be Heard’s monthly meetings aim to give a voice to the voiceless.

“It’s like a community commission meeting,” said Miles Mulrain Jr., the group’s president and director. “Yes, the county and city commission do great things, but let’s focus on what we can do in the meantime for people.”

At the July meeting Thursday night, residents packed Three Masks at 1023 W. Colonial Drive to discuss programs for crime survivors, youth outreach, upcoming legislation that could restore voting rights for felons and neighborhood watches.

Attendees listen to problems in the community and work to develop solutions they can achieve together with their talents, time and resources. The group develops programs to combat crime and promote prosperity in a neighborhood infamous for violence.

“You don’t have to be an elected official [to make a difference],” Mulrain said. “You just have to be an everyday person to help out.”

The group left the floor open for residents to voice their concerns and ideas. Mulrain said this open-forum concept helps bring change, because then the group can begin working on solutions.

“Once a person gives us a glimpse of an idea, we just start working on it,” he said. “A lot of people have things they can do; they just don’t know what to put together.”

For example, the group’s youth outreach programs were created after attendees spoke about violence among high school students, Mulrain said. The group has since taught lessons in schools on topics such as crime prevention and political awareness and created after-school programs.

“We try to make a central place that people can come to us and find out what’s going on,” he said. “The forum is a time for people to be involved.”

Let Your Voice Be Heard will hold a Stop the Violence peace walk at 6 p.m. Saturday along Pine Hills Road from Silver Star Road to Colonial Drive.

For further information, visit letyourvoicebeheardinc.com.