cuchulainn
August 6, 2003, 08:09 AM
from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
http://www.rochesterdandc.com/news/0806VM1DUKO_rally06_news.shtmlRally calls for tougher gun laws
An anti-violence gathering seeks action from lawmakers.
By Alan Morrell
Staff Writer
(August 6, 2003) — Ethel Dix knows the meaning of tough love.
Two months ago, Dix realized her 15-year-old grandson was headed in the wrong direction.
He ran the streets, she said, stayed out all night and got involved in drugs.
So Dix did what she felt she had to do to save the teen. She had a “Persons In Need of Supervision” warrant issued, getting the courts involved to keep her grandson on the straight and narrow.
“I took hold of this child when I saw the road he was on,” said Dix of Adams Street, whose daughter, Dameta Gibson — her aforementioned grandson’s mother — was murdered in 1991.
“Now he’s in counseling and has a probation officer. I want parents to realize there’s help for them, they just need to reach out,” Dix said.
Dix shared her experiences during an anti-violence rally held Tuesday in front of the Monroe County Office Building.
Participants collected signatures on a petition in an attempt to pressure lawmakers to toughen gun laws.
Pastor Joy Powell — an anti-violence activist whose son, David Wright, was murdered in 2001 — walked the sidewalk with a bullhorn, pleading with passersby to sign the petition.
“I’m asking for the whole state to adopt tougher gun laws,” she said, waving petitions that she said contained nearly 2,000 signatures.
“I’m fed up from the set-up. We need everyone to come together,” Powell said.
Alan Whitcomb, a member of the Task Force to Reduce Violence, said the community needs to be continuously involved to make a difference.
“We don’t need sporadic events,” he said. “What we’ve got to do is have events like this, to have an ongoing presence.”
Then there’s the tactic Dix took - a position advocated by Rochester Police Chief Robert Duffy and Mayor William A. Johnson Jr. as better than seeing a loved one in prison or the morgue.
“I was so glad someone saved this child before he was murdered,” Dix said. “Anything I can do to turn (other) kids around, I’ll do it.”
AMORRELL@DemocratandChronicle.com
Copyright 2003 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
http://www.rochesterdandc.com/news/0806VM1DUKO_rally06_news.shtmlRally calls for tougher gun laws
An anti-violence gathering seeks action from lawmakers.
By Alan Morrell
Staff Writer
(August 6, 2003) — Ethel Dix knows the meaning of tough love.
Two months ago, Dix realized her 15-year-old grandson was headed in the wrong direction.
He ran the streets, she said, stayed out all night and got involved in drugs.
So Dix did what she felt she had to do to save the teen. She had a “Persons In Need of Supervision” warrant issued, getting the courts involved to keep her grandson on the straight and narrow.
“I took hold of this child when I saw the road he was on,” said Dix of Adams Street, whose daughter, Dameta Gibson — her aforementioned grandson’s mother — was murdered in 1991.
“Now he’s in counseling and has a probation officer. I want parents to realize there’s help for them, they just need to reach out,” Dix said.
Dix shared her experiences during an anti-violence rally held Tuesday in front of the Monroe County Office Building.
Participants collected signatures on a petition in an attempt to pressure lawmakers to toughen gun laws.
Pastor Joy Powell — an anti-violence activist whose son, David Wright, was murdered in 2001 — walked the sidewalk with a bullhorn, pleading with passersby to sign the petition.
“I’m asking for the whole state to adopt tougher gun laws,” she said, waving petitions that she said contained nearly 2,000 signatures.
“I’m fed up from the set-up. We need everyone to come together,” Powell said.
Alan Whitcomb, a member of the Task Force to Reduce Violence, said the community needs to be continuously involved to make a difference.
“We don’t need sporadic events,” he said. “What we’ve got to do is have events like this, to have an ongoing presence.”
Then there’s the tactic Dix took - a position advocated by Rochester Police Chief Robert Duffy and Mayor William A. Johnson Jr. as better than seeing a loved one in prison or the morgue.
“I was so glad someone saved this child before he was murdered,” Dix said. “Anything I can do to turn (other) kids around, I’ll do it.”
AMORRELL@DemocratandChronicle.com
Copyright 2003 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.