MLK Day event to inform issues in city

For it’s ninth year, Imam Paul Hasan has put together an event to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., and to share awareness of King’s beliefs with all in Lorain County.

With the “Stop the Madness! Stop the Violence! Increase the Peace!” event, Hasan addresses crime, violence, self destructive behavior and the opioid epidemic to share how these issues are threatening to destroy the public. Other local organizations and city officials will participate, he said. The event will incorporate King’s beliefs and message for all to come together and fight against the issues local communities and the world face, he said,

The event begins at noon on Jan. 15 with a mass demonstration held outside at 113 E. 28th St. and will conclude with a program from 2-5 p.m. at Lorain Public Library’s South Branch at 2121 Homewood Dr. in Lorain.

Hasan wants to celebrate and share King’s beliefs to fight the challenges that are occurring, he said. All religions and races are invited.

He wants people to understand those beliefs when trying to fight against the opioid crisis, homicides, other violent crimes and racial tension that still occurs today.

With many working to create an awareness for the event, Hasan said, he hopes to open eyes of the opioid crisis.

“We want to make sure people understand that this is affecting all communities,” he said. “We don’t want to forget what happened in the 80s with crack-cocaine. We don’t want to go through that again.”

With the violent crimes and drug problem in Lorain and throughout the area, Hasan said that much of it is the responsibility of young African American males. To change that, he shared that King encouraged being respectful and what roles people should live by. He believes being out in the community working together as King did, can change the direction of African Americans males and the way they look at things, he said.

“This (event) is to open the eyes of many,” he said. “Dr. King’s beliefs can help change that. With the problems in the past and today, coming together to talk about freedom, justice and equality for all people can change that.”

At the Mass Demonstration, Hasan said it will take place outdoors because he wants to show the importance of King’s strategy to all in attendance and the community. He wants to show that being seen and standing outdoors may not always be comfortable, but if you’re doing it while fighting against odds, it proves that as a group they have what it takes to make change and show awareness, he said.

He wants people to become concerned with the amount of violence in the city, county and state, to stop that madness and to increase the peace.

To introduce the effects of drug use, crime and violence, Hasan said he will be encouraging all to share stories of anyone who has either dealt with these issues themselves or have lost a loved one due to them. He hopes that the stories shared will educate people and open their eyes to these problems in order for all to take action together.

At the South Branch, ways to take action and be proactive towards fighting these challenges will be shared. Attendees can discuss how working together in a community to help others in need can create that change.

“It’s all about action and doing something in our community,” he said. “Dr. King did the Politics of Responsibility and it was an act of resistance. This is what we have to do. We have to be vigilant in our resistance. We need that consistence to change our community and change reality.”

Spending 25 years as a Muslim Minister, Hasan said he has seen many problems in today’s society while traveling all over the country to spread the word and increase the peace. He said he wants to continue to spread awareness until change is made and that it all starts with the younger generation because they are the future.

“We have to emphasize education,” he said. “In order to see a change in the community, we have to educate ourselves and our youth.”

For information on the event, call Imam Paul Hasan at 440-258-3114

“We want to make sure people understand that this is affecting all communities.” — Imam Paul Hasan