The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HONORED
Local mass demonstration celebrates King with speeches and determination
On a cold winter day, citizens, elected officials and activists on peace and justice in Lorain and other communities huddled Jan. 15 for a mass demonstration on the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
The theme of the demonstration: “Stop the madness! Stop the Violence! Increase the peace!” took place in an empty lot of a vacant building, 113 E. 28th St., to address the issues in today’s society in dealing with violence and the opioid epidemic.
Imam Paul Hasan, founder of Interfaith Ministries in Lorain, said to celebrate what King stood for and believed in, he wanted to incorporate his beliefs to today’s issues and how they can help limit them with a group of people coming together.
Leading the demonstration, Hasan walked to the next-door parking lot of Rite Aid, 2709 Broadway, to protest the pharmacy’s influence of prescription drugs on “Big Pharma.”
He said coming to Rite
"We know that a struggle is not easy. It can make you do things that you necessarily don’t want to do." — Imam Paul Hasan
Aid helps understand where most of the issues begin with prescribing drugs to people in the area who may take advantage of them.
A representative of Rite Aid declined to comment on the event and the issue.
Hasan said he wanted the group to understand that it’s a problem the community of Lorain and surrounding areas needs to address together.
“We know that a struggle is not easy,” he said. “It can make you do things that
you necessarily don’t want to do.”
Hasan said he is continuing his mission to increase love, justice, freedom, tranquility and peace.
Lorain Third Ward Councilwoman Pamela M. Carter attended the demonstration to support Hasan’s mission and to address the opiate situation in Lorain and the nation.
Carter said many people may think that opiates don’t affect them if they’re not using them, but a friend or family member could be struggling with the drugs.
It can still lead to hurt or pain, she said.
To make a change, Carter said anyone who follows
the same mission can only do so much by just talking about the issue.
A community has to get busy if it wants to save people no matter how big or small the problem is, she said.
Carter said she has noticed that violence and drug use has become more of a problem in young people.
In the past, she said this was a problem that was unheard of.
To limit the number of children and adults suffering with these issues, she said following the beliefs of King can encourage a community to all do their part.
She said her focus is first on Lorain’s community and
hopes that it can eventually spread to others.
“We may not be able to fix the world, but we can help fix the city of Lorain,” Carter said. “We have to start somewhere.”
Khalid A. Samad, chief executive officer of the Coalition For a Better Life Inc. in Cleveland, concluded the mass demonstration.
With a group coming together on MLK Day, Samad said he wanted to not only commemorate King and what he said, but what he worked for and what he stood for to address today’s issues.
Some of the problems Samad heavily stressed were hate speech, racism, division
and a growing term he used called satanic, or an extremely envious type of speech used by many such as leaders and public officials around the world.
In order to put a stop to all issues, he said certain actions need to be made.
Groups coming together to fight for what they believe and making a message known is just the beginning, Samad said.
Much of what was spoken during the demonstration was carried on in a program later in the afternoon at Lorain Public Library System’s South Branch, 2121 Homewood Drive in Lorain.
Accompanied by the
same speakers, Hasan said he wanted another event to conclude the day’s celebration to build more of a discussion and to inform all on what actions should be taken to put a stop to those problems.
With the help of the Lorain Police Department, the attendees at the Library discussed the opiate problem in the city and shared what should be done to limit it.
Hasan said he wanted the community to come together to make a change and have individuals understand that it’s all about action and doing something in a community to make something happen.