Erie Experience

[Jonathan Lewis]

This is my first blog entry so everyone is going to learn a little more about the Gathering staff each time and I hope we are able to express the experience and the strategy in a way that helps you understand what the Gathering is all about and motivates you to share your experience within the struggle/movement on your quest to realize Dr. Kings dream in your community.
The Gathering staff arrived in Erie, PA on September 17 at 5:30pm with the objective of delivering the mission, message and philosophy of the Gathering to a group of 4 high school and various college students. In preparation the Gathering reached out to members of the network and tried to strengthen relationships and create a collective understanding for all involved. This was accomplished through phone/conference calls, emails, and text messaging. Mr. Jones and the Gathering staff began reviewing the game plan on the ride from the airport to the hotel. We reviewed the recruitment strategy, location, materials, participants, and most importantly the desired outcomes. Erie coalition wants’, depending on the students reaction to the training they would like, to begin and nonviolence training program in each of the schools and to create supportive relationships/mentoring program with the four local universities. This relationship would be created to provide positive peer pressure among the youth and young adults in the community. If the Gathering strategy and wiki approach to emergence is to be successful we must have everyone at the table.
Three of the Gathering for Justice Kingian nonviolence trainers, Author Ramona, Justin Richardson, and Jonathan L. Lewis, found themselves in Erie, PA on September 17-19, 2008 to conduct a Kingian Nonviolence 2 Day Core. Curtis Jones, President of City Council of Erie, Minister of Greater Bethlehem Temple, and executive committee member of the Gathering for Justice hosted the event with logistical support from Ben Wilson, and the Mayor of Erie himself, Joseph Sinnott. The training was held in the City Hall and food was provided by Curtis Jones leadership and ability to create meaningful alliances. The Mayor opened up the event by welcoming 56 students from the four high schools in Erie and the Gathering to Erie for such an important reason as nonviolence and Dr. King’s dream. He expressed to the audience that the politicians need their help. He suggested that we become the change we wish to see in Erie. He is absolutely right! One student said, “If we all become the change that we wish to see here in Erie Pittsburg will take care of itself”. If we want the level of violence in our communities to decrease than our use of violence must decrease and our expression of love must increase.
Tshaka Barros the Director of the Criminal Justice Network for Youth (CJNY) also joined us to experience the training and to provide an additional perspective of the expertise among the Gathering’s leadership. This is an example of a National Organization being a proactive partner with the Gathering making the effort to collaborate. The Gathering has created multiple national partnerships for example CJNY, Ruckus, League of Young Voters, Highlander, MIT, and the University of Rhode Island just to name a few. If we are all to work together we must understand each others styles, pros/cons/personalities and agendas. I want to take this time to thank Justin Richardson, Tshaka Barros, Curtis Jones, Ben Willison, and Arnethia Ellis for making the effort to be a part of the Gathering’s Kingian Nonviolence Erie experiment. The training would not have been the same without each of you.
The Kingian Nonviolence 2 Day Core was scheduled to be facilitated on September 18th & 19th, 2008 and to run from 9:30am-4:30pm on each day. This training was well planned and because of that out of 56 students that participate 53 of the students signed up to become trainers themselves. The students walk in and they sat 5 rows from the front and we soon found out that many of them are present because they wanted to get out of school not participate in the nonviolence training. The room was set up in auditorium style with the seats bolted to the floor which was unexpected and presented a problem structurally. Any good facilitator would say that a circle or half circle is the most desired formation for the participants to be arranged. The students ranged in age from 15 to 17 years old and from four different high schools from around the city; Central High, East High, Strong Vincent, Mercyhurst Prep. Mr. Jones & Mr. Willison contacted each school requesting they send 20 students to participate in the nonviolence training expecting to get 35-40 students to participate. I would like to point out that the Superintendant and School Board sponsored the buses for the children to be dropped off and picked up from the City Hall each day. The Gathering is looking to partner with proactive leadership and to build a future generation of Nonviolence leadership and action.
After assessing the available space we decided to use the foyer of the building to conduct our activities. Conducting the group activities in the foyer forced everyone who worked there had to be exposed to Erie’s effort to create the beloved community. It was not the best place but it worked and helped to educate the larger community. The workers and the Erie community members that walk through enjoyed seeing the children spend time learning about nonviolence and Dr. King. Many of them stayed around to learn themselves. One woman said, “That their kids are turning to drugs and violence more and more to handle their problems and to now know that the Movement is not dead and that elders like Mr. Belafonte are still hard at work gives her inspiration and hope. God bless the Gathering”.
The 2 Days of the Gathering training created a desire to get involved, learn and grow. One of the teachers from the participating high school said at the beginning of day two, “that the students may have showed up not knowing what to expect but they walk away wanting more”. The two day Kingian nonviolence training truly struck a cord with in the young leaders and it is creating a sweet sound for everyone’s ears. The students were encouraged to create a profile on the Gatherings website and before the end of the weekend Erie’s web based group became the largest on the website.
STUDENT’S WEB COMMENTS
1. I think my favorite part were the videos it really helped to see stuff instead of hearing about it...I think you should include more videos of young people our age and younger, it really makes us feel like we could actually do something! I also like the way you guys broke the ice b/w us when we partnered up because it made it easier to express our selves because we felt like we knew each other at least a lil bit!!!!!
2. I don't think I have a favorite part of this experience. It was all a lot of fun. You guys taught me so much of what was going on with violence. I honestly didn't think much of nonviolence before this program. But I would absolutely love to learn more. =)
3. No lie I learned alot!! The best part was the whole thing in my opinion. Theirs nothing that I would change except if we get more people involved!!
4. Usually when we have some type of speaker trying to get to do something, like for example no littering (just an example), they have our attention, and make us want to do it. We get all hype and say 'yea let’s do this!' we're motivated about it. But then a few days go pass and people start forgetting bout it and saying its corny or it'll never work, or you know getting discouraged. But not here. When you came to speak to us them two days I really got motivated to a point where nothing would discourage me, even if the world were to come to an end. And I really appreciate it. I feel like my eyes have been open more and I can see the light a little more. lol as corny as that sounds it’s the truth. I liked all of it I don’t think there was one thing that I disliked. Every word you spoke motivated me more and more. And if there is ANY WAY I can help, especially here in Erie since I live here, Hit me up and I will be all for it! And again I really appreciate it and I also have the up most respect for you, for coming down to lil old Erie and trying to make a change.
5. I like principle four: Accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal! To me what I got out of it is that to reach my goal I’m going to have to sacrifice something to reach my goal. No matter what that goal is!
6. I really enjoyed the experience I had. And I would like to continue being educated, helping others learn about what’s going on, and most important, MAKING the change from a violent society to a nonviolent society. =)

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

In conclusion, the teachers from each of the schools approached Mr. Jones and other members of the Gathering at different times expressing the desire to continue exploring Kingian Nonviolence and what it means to be a part of the Gathering. Mr. Jones and Mr. Wilson will be coordinating the Erie experiment so for additional information contact Ben Wilson Each participant received a Kingian Nonviolence 2Day Core certificate of completion.
Next steps:
Because of the over whelming response Erie, PA wants to act now and provide additional events, workshops, and trainings for the students while they are interested. Mr. Jones and the Gathering staff have discussed the next steps of the Erie experiment/experience. The Mayor’s office, the School Board, local organizations, businesses, and most importantly the students are all supporting efforts of Mr. Curtis Jones and the Gathering for Justice the Nonviolence movement to save their youth. Until the Nonviolence trainers from the Gathering could provide this additional training, the staff has aligned Curtis Jones of Erie with 1HOOD Jasiri X of Pittsburg to provide additional training and motivational support in the High schools.
The participants of the training will also explore the idea of implementing a statewide student council that would review community issues and suggesting policies that city officials can implement. This youth civic council will empower the students to become involved in the democratic process and will provide hands on learning.